Apple Inc. (AAPL) Hires Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) Head of Search

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has been going after Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) on several fronts, not the least of which has been in the courtroom over patent litigation. But Apple Inc. (AAPL) also has been trying to take on Google Inc. (GOOG) in other areas. One of the most noteworthy ways lately has been to ditch Google Maps from its iOS and install its own proprietary mapping system, which has come across with very negative reviews when it debuted on the iOS 6 in the iPhone 5 device.

Now, though, it seems that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is changing its angle and is going after Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) in its bread-and-butter, search. The word is that Apple Inc. (AAPL) has just hired experienced search engine developer  William Stasior – who headed up the A9 search engine at Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) – to take over Siri, the voice assistant. But it is also expected that Stasior will play some key role in the development of search for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL).

Siri has been much maligned since its introduction, with some discounting the service as not much more than a gimmick than something of great utility.  Chances are it will be Stasior with the opportunity to turn Siri around, but also to rely on his heavy search-engine experience – which includes Altavista, one of the first web search engines – to change the landscape for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) in its battle with Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG).

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) could use a little stability in its Siri division since it was folded into the Apple Inc. (AAPL) empire in 2010. The CEO of Siri left in 2011 and the co-founder departed earlier this year. Whether Stasior will work with Siri and search as separate entities or try to marry them together is something that is unknown but may be of great interest moving forward, especially for investors like billionaire fund manager Julian Robertson of Tiger Management.