Why can’t Google and Apple play nice?
Among the various announcements made at the
World Wide Developers Conference in June Apple's annual dog-and-pony show aimed
at demonstrating new products and working with developers was a seemingly
innocuous feature of iOS 6 that proved to be the latest salvo fired at internet
search giant Google.
Why
can’t Google and Apple play nice?
Scott Forstall, the chief of Apple's
proprietary mobile operating system, divulged a list of upgrades for the
forthcoming iteration of iOS that included improvements to Siri, a deeper
integration of Facebook's functionality and a host of other nifty software
enhancements. Raising more than a few eyebrows was the mention of a brand new
maps application, a sleeker and sexier version of Google Maps which has been
standard on iPhones since the first generation in 2007. The reported
feature-set includes Apple-esque design flairs and crowd-sourced traffic
information along with upgraded graphics, turn-by-turn navigation and Siri
integration ("Siri, is there a good place to eat around here?").
Apple stepped in and replaced the Google map functionality with one of its own,
essentially eliminating another Google application. Given the usefulness and consumer
dependence on mobile map applications, the move by Apple was seen as a
particularly harsh blow to Google. But it most certainly was not the last.
The relationship between the undoubted
champions of technology was not always this contentious. Back in 2006, the Chief
Executive Officer of Google, Dr. Eric Schmidt, was appointed to the Board of
Directors of Apple and the two companies enjoyed a solid working relationship.
In the early summer of 2007, Steve Jobs proudly announced the pending release
of his iPhone complete with Google applications. Phones were shipped already
containing Google Maps and YouTube. Jobs went so far as to highlight Google's
presence on his new mobile device stating, "iPhone delivers the best
YouTube mobile experience by far." Over the ensuing years, however, the
love-fest has chilled dramatically. Not too long after Jobs proudly pointed to
the Google services in his technological masterpiece, Google proclaimed that
they would be diving into the mobile business as well. In November of 2007, a
mere five months after the launch of the original iPhone, the search-engine
unveiled its plan for Android, an open-platform operating system for cellular
devices.
The Linux based platform included an
operating system, GUI and software that could, according to Google's Director
of Mobile Platforms Andy Rubin, "... run a mobile phone, but without the
proprietary obstacles that have hindered mobile innovation/7 The battle lines
were drawn and Apple was forced to face the harsh reality that a business partner
was about to become a bitter rival.
The association between the tech titans
deteriorated rapidly over the ensuing years. Google's Android phones had such a
similar look and feel as rival Apple that the Cupertino firm filed patent suits
against numerous hand-set manufacturers —many of them members of the Open
Handset Alliance, the corporate consortium responsible for the operating
system—who were employing Android in their devices. In late 2009 at an Apple
town meeting, Jobs tore apart his former corporate ally saying, "We did
not enter the search business. They entered the phone business. Moke no
mistake: they won’t to kill the iPhone. We won't let them ...Don't be evil is o
load of crap." Google chief Dr. Schmidt had already resigned from his
Apple board seat, citing a conflict of interest as the two companies drifted
further apart.
Jobs also accused the Mountain View
Corporation of purposely trying to kill the iPhone, assuring those in
attendance that "We won't let them." (Schmidt's response was cordial
and mollifying, praising Jobs as "...the best CEO in the world
today.")
Google seemed to know how to push Apple's
buttons. Techs working on Android often accused Apple of limiting content and
free speech, a result of Jobs' ban of controversial applications and
intolerance of sexual content. They surmised that Steve's "fear and
anger" were at the crux of his rigorous application acceptance process,
one that even Google's popular Google Voice could not overcome in 2009 and was
thus not offered as an iOS app. Soon after, other Google applications also
failed the application process as Apple alluded to the fact that these proposed
programs were disruptive to iPhone's functionality. Many industry wags
nevertheless saw these slights as Apple's reaction to their former OEM
"getting into bed" with its competition. If folks looked harshly on
Jobs' vehement denouncements of Google's open-sourced efforts, seeming to
demonize what appeared to be an almost altruistic effort to make programming
for Android phones simple and accessible, they soon understood his panic as
Android-run devices grew exponentially in a small amount of time and came to
dominate the mobile market.
If a product demonstration from just a few
days ago is any indication, whatever symmetry that had remained between Apple
and Google may have just melted away. A beta of iOS 6 failed to include YouTube
as a native app, something Apple had been doing since the launch of the
original and Steve Jobs' exaltation of its inclusion. Both companies assure
that there are no problems, reiterating that the license for its inclusion had
expired and that an improved version would be offered through Apple's App
Store. Despite assurances to the contrary, tech analysts contend that
neglecting to include a YouTube app with every iPhone and iPad is tantamount to
severing all ties with Google. Many also feel that the relationship between the
two has grown so contentious as to resemble the great battles that Apple and
Microsoft have had since the introduction of the Windows operating system. To
add insult to injury, Apple will employ Microsoft's search engine Bing in its
proprietary maps application, another shot at Google's core competency. As
Android's dominance increases and devices like HTC's Nexus One, a Google smart
phone, appear to mimic the best features from Apple's iOS, the shift in
competition becomes clearer. Once bitter foes with a history of squabbling and
one-upmanship, Apple and Microsoft now need to band together to defeat a common
rival in Google. The battle lines have been drawn.
