Apple could be tailoring its own search engine wrapper

Apple is unhappy with the search experience on its mobile products and may be looking to develop a more approachable interface that could be grafted on top of existing technologies like Google search, according to a published report.

High-tech blog TechCrunch claims to have picked up hints from multiple people "that Apple is working on a search engine of some sort." However, the publication almost immediately discounts the notion, citing little evidence to back up the claim.

"If Apple were building a search engine, they’d be hiring search experts and engineers," the report states. "We’ve talked to a ton of them at all the big companies, and while some of them heard the same rumors, none have lost search employees to Apple, or heard of any specific hirings."

Therefore, speculation is that the rumor, which is believed to "have a nugget of truth" to it, more likely pertains to plans on the part of the iPhone maker to build "a radically different user experience which is much more visual" than today's search engines.

Presumptions are that the actual data search would still be performed by existing search engines, such as those belonging to Google, with the results presented more appropriately for Apple's growing array of mobile devices.

TechCrunch promises more information as it becomes available.