I wonder if Apple does a cost analysis on search every year and frequently go “NOPE” at the current state of search.

Apple Maps took years to shed it’s reputation. A Apple version of search would being a lot of negative press. And they can’t exactly handshake with Microsoft and Bing, as Bing has its own negative reputation.

All the smaller search engines, so they fit into the Apple mindset?

At the end of the day, they’ll take Google’s money. While finding a way to make their own.