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In an unprecedented show of desperation Microsoft is now offering products from arch-rival Apple in order to lure users into using its online search products, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

The move is unique in two ways. First off Microsoft maintains a strict culture of not allowing its employees to use products and services from rivals. So the news that Microsoft employees use Google search even in their office made rounds throughout the blogosphere. This is news because if and when your own employees are not willing to use your product, how can you convince the world about the utility of the offering. Secondly only a selected companies have ever tried to acquire users by offering something other than their service. I have seen companies offering products to acquire users, but in most cases they are startups whom no one knows about. Never have I come across such a Giant offering products to make users try out their services.

Microsoft had recently partnered with Australian based Nine Networks to completely revamp its Live Search offering in an effort to improve search results, and integrate video, images, news and maps to its search queries. The joint venture, ninemsn has now come up with a desperate attempt to fend off Google’s growing dominance in the search space. The new Live Search promotion campaign is offering surfers the chance to win prizes such as the iPod Nano, Shuffle, and Touch in return for using Live Search. Prior to this Microsoft at one time, also offered cash to its users in return for using Live Search.

Google Search has a unique Australian audience of 9.7 million users compared to 8.5 million users a year ago. In comparison, Microsoft’s Live Search bags 3 million users, as against 2.7 million users for the previous year. Yahoo’s market share has declined from 1.5 million users last year to 1.4 million users this year.

Microsoft is doing whatever it can in order to get its foot into the Search market. It has recently acquired Powerset, a startup that focused on searching the web semantically, i.e they search results that Powerset delivers are based on the semantic meaning of the keywords. In addition to this Microsoft is still trying to atleast buy the Search business of Yahoo.

Google in the meantime is  not sitting idle and entered into an ad deal with Yahoo to somewhat fend off Microsoft’s bid for the company. Yesterday, Adobe announced that it had worked with Google and Yahoo to give their search engines the capability to look inside Flash files. Thus making the immense data available online in Flash format searchable by Google.

By any means trying to lure users into using your Search Engine by offering hip products from yet another competitor is a definite admission of failure.