Apple will be hurting if it loses its $20b per year cash cow, but it has solid options for a future without the search giant.

Apple Inc. made an unusual pitch in its bid to save a lucrative search partnership with Alphabet Inc.’s Google, saying that the deal might not be necessary in the long run and that even the iPhone may fall out of use.

Apple stands to lose the $20 billion it earns annually from making Google the default search engine in Safari. According to Apple's services chief Eddy Cue, the company is already exploring AI-powered alternatives.