Google has launched Gemini Spark, its AI assistant, as a standalone macOS app with desktop automation, app integrations, and real-time topic tracking, announced in June 2025 and rolling out to macOS users as of this week, according to The Indian Express. Analysts read this as a direct counter to Apple's deepening partnership with OpenAI's ChatGPT, designed to keep high-value Apple users inside Google's AI and advertising ecosystem. The move pre-empts the threat posed by Apple Intelligence's native integration of ChatGPT, which risks diverting premium users and their search queries away from Google's ecosystem permanently. Google reportedly pays Apple roughly $20 billion a year to remain the default search engine on Safari, a figure estimated by the US Department of Justice during the 2023-24 antitrust trial as reported by Bloomberg. The launch is available globally on macOS desktops, with particular strategic significance in markets like India, the US, and Europe where Apple's premium user base overlaps with Google's search-ad revenue.