Apple’s (NASDAQ: AAPL) Steve Jobs says his company will not take on Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) in the search business.  The Apple App Store , however, already competes against Google in cellphones, mobile advertising and operating systems.

Many of Apple’s 200,000 app downloads are shortcuts to the web which eliminates the need for Google’s search functions.

Apple’s most popular apps are for social networks, news, weather, and games. Among Google’s most popular searches are ones for Facebook, news, and instant messaging services such as AIM. People do not need to use Google to access their personal files and social network postings. Apple has done that for them.

Another key feature that Google offers is maps and location services. Apple’s iPhone has built-in GPS and that is the basis for helping users move from point to point without Google Maps which does not, usually ,work with customer-based GPS.

Apple also offers apps for Google’s search competitors for those who believe that search is their best way to navigate the web. The Bing download is one of the most popular and so are location and phone look-up services. Apple also offers apps for news which directly compete with Google News.

Apple has already seized a part of the search market by putting it into app portals which offer fast and direct access to parts of the internet. They happen to be many of the same destinations that Google offers through its search service.

Douglas A. McIntyre

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