Google founder accuses Apple's Steve Jobs of 'rewriting history'
Larry Page, one of the founders of Google, said this week that Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs has been "rewriting history" in making claims that the search giant was responsible for the tension between the two companies.
Page, along with Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt, spoke with reporters this week at the Allen & Co. conference, according to Reuters. Jobs was invited, but did not attend.
Page, on Thursday, said that Jobs' suggestion that Google was responsible for the animosity between the two companies by choosing to compete with the iPhone in creating its own Android mobile platform was "a little bit of rewriting history."
"We had been working on Android a very long time, with the notion of producing phones that are Internet enabled and have good browsers and all that, because that did not exist in the market place," Page reportedly said. "I think that characterization of us entering after is not really reasonable."
Schmidt added that he believes the market is large enough for both Apple and Google to thrive. He said most people incorrectly "assume that these are zero-sum games, which are battles to the death."
Schmidt noted that Apple and Google still have important partnerships. Google powers the Maps application found on the iPhone, and powers the native YouTube application as well. And it is also the default search provider on all iOS devices, including the iPod touch and iPad.
Schmidt also said that he believes that Chrome OS, set to arrive later this year, will appear on tablet PCs, and will compete with Apple's iPad.
Last summer, as both companies grew in competition, Schmidt resigned from the Apple Board of Directors. His departure was seen as necessary as Google and Apple now compete in numerous markets in the technology sector: Google's Android mobile operating system competes with Apple's iPhone; both companies recently made large mobile advertising acquisitions; Google's forthcoming Chrome OS will see the company enter the traditional PC space; the Chrome browser competes with Apple's Safari; and this fall, Google TV will be released and will compete with Apple TV.
In March The New York Times reported that Steve Jobs feels Google betrayed Apple by partnering with hardware manufacturers to make cell phones that resemble the iPhone. Jobs also allegedly let his feelings be known to employees at a company meeting in January.
"We did not enter the search business. They entered the phone business," Jobs reportedly said. "Make no mistake, Google wants to kill the iPhone. We won't let them."
The executive made similar comments on the record in early June, at The Wall Street Journal's All Things D conference, noting that his company wants to make better products than Google. He said that competing, however, doesn't mean you have to be rude.
"We didn't go into the search business," Jobs said of Google.
Despite animosity between Google and Apple, Jobs was spotted having coffee in public with Schmidt back in March. The two were seen talking at a cafe in Palo Alto, Calif.
Page, along with Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt, spoke with reporters this week at the Allen & Co. conference, according to Reuters. Jobs was invited, but did not attend.
Page, on Thursday, said that Jobs' suggestion that Google was responsible for the animosity between the two companies by choosing to compete with the iPhone in creating its own Android mobile platform was "a little bit of rewriting history."
"We had been working on Android a very long time, with the notion of producing phones that are Internet enabled and have good browsers and all that, because that did not exist in the market place," Page reportedly said. "I think that characterization of us entering after is not really reasonable."
Schmidt added that he believes the market is large enough for both Apple and Google to thrive. He said most people incorrectly "assume that these are zero-sum games, which are battles to the death."
Schmidt noted that Apple and Google still have important partnerships. Google powers the Maps application found on the iPhone, and powers the native YouTube application as well. And it is also the default search provider on all iOS devices, including the iPod touch and iPad.
Schmidt also said that he believes that Chrome OS, set to arrive later this year, will appear on tablet PCs, and will compete with Apple's iPad.
Last summer, as both companies grew in competition, Schmidt resigned from the Apple Board of Directors. His departure was seen as necessary as Google and Apple now compete in numerous markets in the technology sector: Google's Android mobile operating system competes with Apple's iPhone; both companies recently made large mobile advertising acquisitions; Google's forthcoming Chrome OS will see the company enter the traditional PC space; the Chrome browser competes with Apple's Safari; and this fall, Google TV will be released and will compete with Apple TV.
In March The New York Times reported that Steve Jobs feels Google betrayed Apple by partnering with hardware manufacturers to make cell phones that resemble the iPhone. Jobs also allegedly let his feelings be known to employees at a company meeting in January.
"We did not enter the search business. They entered the phone business," Jobs reportedly said. "Make no mistake, Google wants to kill the iPhone. We won't let them."
The executive made similar comments on the record in early June, at The Wall Street Journal's All Things D conference, noting that his company wants to make better products than Google. He said that competing, however, doesn't mean you have to be rude.
"We didn't go into the search business," Jobs said of Google.
Despite animosity between Google and Apple, Jobs was spotted having coffee in public with Schmidt back in March. The two were seen talking at a cafe in Palo Alto, Calif.
Comments
Daring Fireball had an interesting post showing the Android prototype before the iPhone appeared. Steve Jobs was right when he said that Google copied the look and feel of the iPhone. Just take a look at that Android prototype and the Google phones you see today.
Rewriting history? I don't think so.
Boy, Did Google Blow It In China
This morning came news that China has renewed Google's license to operate in the country.
That seemed like good news--Google wins the China standoff!--until it was revealed that Google's China search engine will now be censoring its entire list of web pages, instead of just the ones that the Chinese government found objectionable.
http://blogs.forbes.com/firewall/201...mepagechannels
Yes, Google was working on Android. but their phones looked like this. Apple has always been the innovator. Google is a one-trick pony that just adds features and increase specs but doesn't innovate.
Maybe he should spend some time fixing their f'ups in China instead of all this non-sense.
Boy, Did Google Blow It In China
Yeah, but Google never was a dominant player in China anyway. Baidu is #1 and Google could never have beat them anyway.
... Steve Jobs has admitted that he never saw Apple compete with platforms, maybe that was why Microsoft won the desktop platform war.
Microsoft is stuck in the past. They remain in the Windows + Office desktop productivity business, and will do nothing to threaten that. They can't afford to risk taking sales away from Windows and Office because those are their only profit centers. Their customers are Dell, HP, Lenovo etc. and corporate IT departments.
Consumers? Who are they? Microsoft has no history of being able to sell any consumer products. And they make so much money from Windows + Office that they don't dare try.
In March The New York Times reported that Steve Jobs feels Google betrayed Apple by partnering with hardware manufacturers to make cell phones that resemble the iPhone.
This is the crux of the issue. Its more about inspiration than timing.
Yes, Google was working on phones before the iPhone.
Once the iPhone was introduced however, Google did a 180 and copied the iPhone.
Google will be releasing Chrome OS this fall.
I guarantee you it will look nothing like the early demos?
Why?
Because Apple has unveiled the iPad and now Mountain View has a successful reference design from which to work from.
Yeah, but Google never was a dominant player in China anyway. Baidu is #1 and Google could never have beat them anyway.
yeah but because of Google's stupid business decision to pull out of China, then come crawling back to them again is both an idiotic and gutless move by Google.
Microsoft is stuck in the past.
Consumers? Who are they? Microsoft has no history of being able to sell any consumer products. And they make so much money from Windows + Office that they don't dare try.
Really? I guess you're unfamiliar with the (highly successful) X-Box 360.
... Yes, Google was working on Android. but their phones looked like this. Apple has always been the innovator. Google is a one-trick pony that just adds features and increase specs but doesn't innovate.
Agree. Google is the new Microsoft. Microsoft has Windows + Office. Google has paid ads polluting their search engine.
All this talk about Android vs. iPhone is missing the point. Android is a platform for AdMob. iOS is a platform for iAd. Apple needs to make money through ads for two reasons: 1) Developers also get money from ads, which attracts developers to iOS. 2) Hardware costs are relentlessly dropping, so eventually, Apple will have trouble maintaining that 30%+ margin on their hardware sales, as they do now.
Apple and Google are competing in the mobile ad space because Apple must move in that direction to guarantee future profits, and Google's business model is selling ads in search results and their other software products, including Android. It's inevitable.
But it's not a deathmatch. ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox all compete in the TV ad space. Will one network eventually kill off all the other ones? No. They just fight to increase their slice of the pie. Same with Apple and Google.
Google has always been about copying other market leaders. Think about it, they do it with every single product that they have, starting with search. Granted, they embellish it with their own spin, but Google is just a giant copy factory.
Prior to Apple, they were gearing to copy the biggest smartphone operator at the time, Blackberry. That's why if you look at the photo posted above you can clearly see that it's a knockoff of Blackberry. After iPhone's release they realized that the Apple version of the smartphone was going to lead the market and they quickly copied that.
So, Page, you can f-off you lying piece of crap.
This is a pretty rich comment. Google has take a page out of Micro$oft's playbook. Wait for Apple to innovate and then flood the market with cheap knockoff's. Google knows that their advertising business will eventually 'mature' and they are looking for new revenue streams. Apple is betting that they can maintain high margins, and build enough market share to be highly profitable. All while pursuing a 'closed' strategy while Google is betting that 'open' will drive their revenue model. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out...
What revenue model? They give Android away for free and they're attempt at selling hardware for a profit failed miserably. They're an advertising platform, and they just need to get ads on as many devices as possible in order to make money... and it's not clear that Android helps that situation since it's causing problems with Google getting ads on the iPhone.
And then Vic Gundotra says at I/O that if Google didn't act we faced a totalitarian future dictated by one man and one company (implying Android came as a response to iPhone).
So which one is it? Well the truth is somewhere in between. Yes Google were working on cellphones long before the unveiling of iPhone, but that work changed tact dramatically in response to iPhone and the MultiTouch? user interface.
Google are very good at telling a tale which suits them as well.
Really? I guess you're unfamiliar with the (highly successful) X-Box 360.
You're referring to the XBox 360 which has lost Microsoft millions of dollars (subsidized by their Windows and Office monopolies) and has the highest recall rate in the industry? Yes, it's a fun product, but as a business model it sucks.
You're referring to the XBox 360 which has lost Microsoft millions of dollars (subsidized by their Windows and Office monopolies) and has the highest recall rate in the industry? Yes, it's a fun product, but as a business model it sucks.
That has nothing to do with the initial claim that, "Microsoft has no history of being able to sell any consumer products."... Nothing.
The X-Box 360 is clear evidence that Microsoft can successfully sell a consumer product, all other arguments are moot/irrelevant to this statement.
The X-Box 360 is clear evidence that Microsoft can successfully sell a consumer product, all other arguments are moot/irrelevant to this statement.
Wow. Thanks for stamping TROLL in large neon letters on your forehead....
So Larry Page says Google have been working on phones a long time (before the iPhone was announced), which is correct. As someone has posted they were clones of the most popular smartphone in the US today ? the Blackberry.
And then Vic Gundotra says at I/O that if Google didn't act we faced a totalitarian future dictated by one man and one company (implying Android came as a response to iPhone).
So which one is it? Well the truth is somewhere in between. Yes Google were working on cellphones long before the unveiling of iPhone, but that work changed tact dramatically in response to iPhone and the MultiTouch? user interface.
Google are very good at telling a tale which suits them as well.
Well, yes, and Apple was obviously also working on phones long before the unveiling of the iPhone, as Eric Schmidt discovered when he joined Apple's board.