💰 Google could charge you to search

Google might charge you for surfing the web | Apple is working on live-in robots | [Finimize](   TOGETHER WITH     Hi {NAME}, here's what you need to know for April 5th in 3:15 minutes.   💪 We have a [one-million-strong community]( who prefer to hear the news straight – no acronyms, ratios, or unnecessary complications in sight. If that's your sort of people too, we can hook you up. [Get in touch]( Today's big stories - Google weighed up the prospect of charging for its AI-powered search engine - BlackRock is still backing Japan – [Read Now]( - Apple replaced its failed electric vehicle ambitions with blueprints for home robots Surf’s Up [Surf’s Up] What’s going on here? Google [considered]( charging for its AI-powered search engine, potentially ending the era of free web browsing. What does this mean? Some things just feel free: a walk on the beach, a stroll around a museum, and searching for stuff online. Yet, Alphabet-owned Google has only kept its search engine free because the higher footfall means it can make bank through advertising. In fact, $175 billion of Google’s search revenue came from advertising last year, more than half of its total takings. But because it’ll cost more to power search results with AI, Google is considering charging for the service, putting one of its core products behind a paywall for the first time ever. Why should I care? Zooming in: There’s such a thing as “too good”. Rivals like Microsoft’s Bing and fledgling startups will be racing to perfect AI-powered search first. Still, Google needs to be careful: if its souped-up search engine produces perfect answers, folk might not click through to websites for more information. And for those that pay Google for a spot at the top of the page, that could be enough of a reason to cancel the direct debit. To add to those concerns, Google’s been pulled into court by the Department of Justice for anti-competitive behavior, and its Gemini chatbot has been criticized for spitting out false “historical” images. The bigger picture: We’re taking it slow. Chatbots including OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Copilot have already wrangled their spots into folks’ phones and bookmark bars. That said, it doesn’t seem like their users see them as a replacement for search engines just yet. Google still owns 91% of the search market according to Statcounter, barely down from the 92% average over the last five years. Now, that will change over time as we start trusting bots with our love lives and health concerns, but investors seem to have factored that into the share price: Google has the cheapest valuation of the Magnificent Seven stocks. You might also like: [Alphabet could still turn it around](. Copy to share story: [( 🙋 [Ask a question](mailto:questions@finimize.com?body=Ask us a question: Where are you writing from? Let us know and we'll mention it when we reply.&noapp=true&subject=Surf’s Up&utm_campaign=daily-global-05-04-2024&utm_source=email) Analyst Take BlackRock Is Big On Japan [BlackRock Is Big On Japan]( By Russell Burns, Analyst Going into 2024, [BlackRock]( wasn’t exactly looking at the investment world through rose-colored sunglasses. It saw mostly slower growth, hotter-than-ideal inflation, higher interest rates, and greater volatility ahead. And Japan was the only advanced economy putting a glimmer in its eye. Now, just a few months later, the biggest asset manager on the planet is looking back at those calls – and mostly [doubling down](. That’s today’s Insight: [BlackRock’s Japan bet and the few other places where it sees opportunities](. [Read or listen to the Insight here]( SPONSORED BY IG Make your money work further with ISAs You want to grow your portfolio as fast as possible – as sustainably and safely as possible. Well, [stocks and shares ISAs]( could be right up your street.  The savings accounts let you deposit £20,000 a year to invest, and the best bit: all of your profit is free of capital gains tax. That means you keep more of your money and the money you make, so you can [invest more]( and – you guessed it – potentially make more over time. And starting this year, you can open [multiple stocks and shares ISAs]( and use “[flexible transfers](” to transfer a fraction of one account over to another, giving you more control over your money. [Check out IG’s resources for free to find out the ISA do’s and don’ts before tomorrow's deadline](. DisclaimerInvesting puts your capital at risk. [Find Out More]( When you support our sponsors, you support us. Thanks for that. If you want your brand featured here, [get in touch.]( iRobot [iRobot] What’s going on here? Apple is [tinkering]( with radical home technologies, hoping that folk will buy live-in robots from a company that couldn’t nail electric vehicles. What does this mean? Apple's engineers are dreaming up a robot that could follow you around at home – because that sounds like a normal, reassuring, and non-disruptive addition to a regular day. That’s not the only sketch on the drawing board, though, with other home-focused innovations like a “home hub” with an iPad-eque display in the lineup. Now, they’re all just in the brainstorming stage at the moment, but with the Vision Pro already out and electric vehicle plans on ice, Apple might find the time to pull a blueprint into the lab. Why should I care? Zooming out: Apple’s software update is overdue. The iPhone was responsible for 52% of Apple’s $383 billion sales last year. But wary of resting on its laurels, especially now that the signature smartphone is falling out of favor in China, Apple needs to find its next big thing – and fast. The Vision Pro virtual reality headset might turn out to be a cash cow, but it’ll take a long time for an almost full-face technological eye mask to win over the masses. So it’s no wonder Apple is set on pushing tech into homes around the world – especially when that could mean building a treasure trove of consumer data by the day. The bigger picture: Try turning it on and off again. Apple used to be the frontrunner in product innovation, turning rivals green with envy with each launch of an iPhone, iPod, or iPad. That’s no longer the case. Apple’s notably absent from the AI arena, with many investors worried that the tech giant might lose its prominence in the next technological frontier. US and European regulators aren’t helping, either, filing accusations that Apple is pushing smaller companies out of the market. You might also like: [Goldman sees the humanoids rising, sooner than you think.]( Copy to share story: [( 🙋 [Ask a question](mailto:questions@finimize.com?body=Ask us a question: Where are you writing from? Let us know and we'll mention it when we reply.&noapp=true&subject=iRobot&utm_campaign=daily-global-05-04-2024&utm_source=email) 💬 Quote of the day "A word to the wise is infuriating." – Hunter S. Thompson (an American journalist and author) [Tweet this]( Connect your brand with the next generation of investors Our one-million-strong international financial community has some big plans. They want to develop their investing skills and discover expert tools that could help them trade better, all in a bid to achieve their dreams of financial freedom. Your brand could help them do just that: whether you provide information, tools, or tricks, [you could help retail investors]( around the world make smarter decisions. 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