Google VP, TweetDeck CEO refute comments from Apple's Steve Jobs

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
After Apple co-founder Steve Jobs made a surprise appearance on his company's quarterly earnings call to make statements about Google's Android mobile platform, executives from Google and TweetDeck took to the Web to rebuff his statements.



During Monday's earnings call, Jobs shared his opinion on the alleged fragmentation of the Android platform, noting that companies like HTC and Motorola install their own proprietary user interfaces to differentiate themselves from stock Android. He also claimed that the application TweetDeck, which he mistakenly misnamed, had challenges with the recent launch of their Android application.



"Twitter client TwitterDeck [sic] recently launched their Android app, and had to contend with 100 different versions of software on 244 different handsets," Jobs said. That's a daunting challenge."



Iain Dodsworth, CEO of TweetDeck, quickly responded to Jobs' comments via Twitter, and said he believes Android fragmentation is actually a "small" issue.



"Did we at any point say it was a nightmare developing on Android?" Dodsworth wrote on his Twitter account. "Err nope, no we didn't. It wasn't."



He later followed up: "WE only have 2 guys developing on Android TweetDeck so that shows how small an issue fragmentation is."



Dodsworth was allegedly joined by Andy Rubin, vice president of engineering at Google and known as the "father" of Android, in responding to Jobs on Twitter. Rubin -- via a new, unverified Twitter account -- apparently took issue with Jobs' opinion on the "open" debate between Apple's iOS, which powers the iPhone and iPad, versus Google's Android.



Jobs argued that Android's fragmentation makes it less open because a variety of applications for Android run only on a few hardware options.



"Many Android apps work only on select handsets, or select Android versions," Jobs said Monday. "This is for handsets that shipped 12 months ago. Compare with iPhone, where there are two versions to test against -- the current and most recent predecessor."



The purported response to Jobs from Rubin, who was formerly an engineer at Apple, was tongue in cheek, with a geeky take on the matter: "the definition of open: 'mkdir android ; cd android ; repo init -u git://android.git.kernel.org/platform/manifest.git ; repo sync ; make'"



The rivalry between Google and Apple, two companies that were previously friendly, has continued to grow over the last year and a half. In March, The New York Times reported that Jobs feels Google betrayed Apple by producing smartphones that resemble the iPhone.



"We did not enter the search business. They entered the phone business," Jobs was claimed to have said to Apple employees at a company meeting in January. "Make no mistake, Google wants to kill the iPhone. We won't let them."
«13456711

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 218
    This industry would be sooo boring without Mr. Jobs
  • Reply 2 of 218
    tjwtjw Posts: 216member
    This just shows jobs is making stuff up, obviously getting a little hot under the collar at the competition.....
  • Reply 3 of 218
    Is there a video of Steve Jobs' commentary?
  • Reply 4 of 218
    Looks like a few ruffled feathers ....
  • Reply 5 of 218
    This is what happens when you get up on the soap box... people get to argue your claims.



    As mentioned... never a dull moment with Steve.



    $20 billion a quarter... hey, I'd give any guy a great deal of latitude with that record.
  • Reply 6 of 218
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tjw View Post


    This just shows jobs is making stuff up, obviously getting a little hot under the collar at the competition.....



    ... or the other guys are making stuff up.



    Depends on who you want to believe, I guess.
  • Reply 7 of 218
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by whitentosh View Post


    Is there a video of Steve Jobs' commentary?



    These calls are never video. Telephone only.
  • Reply 8 of 218
    Does it seem like Mr. Jobs as been a little more vocal than usual. Perhaps to a point where his foot is approaching his mouth. What point was he trying to make to his stockholders? I think I'd have just let the $20 billion quarter speak for itself.
  • Reply 9 of 218
    In all due respect, Tweetdeck does work shitty on my EVO. Great on my iPad though...
  • Reply 10 of 218
    gqbgqb Posts: 1,934member
    Rubin's Tweet had me rolling on the floor.

    Talk about a case study in 'not getting it'.

    He precisely makes the case as to why 'open' is completely meaningless to 99.9% of users (you know, the ones who actually buy things?).

    As to the benefit to developers, what is more important to most? That they can add some obscure functionality, or that they are given a frame work that allows them to actually get paid for their work?



    'open' is simply a religious movement (and for Google, a very selective one at that.)
  • Reply 11 of 218
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by iGod 2.0 View Post


    In all due respect, Tweetdeck does work shitty on my EVO. Great on my iPad though...



    I've heard this a number of times. So maybe fragmentation is a problem. Maybe they should try having more developers do the ports if they want equal results.



    Just cuz a version exists doesn't make it as quality. THis is the entire distinction between apples app store and all the rest.
  • Reply 12 of 218
    gqbgqb Posts: 1,934member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Curmudgeon View Post


    Does it seem like Mr. Jobs as been a little more vocal than usual. Perhaps to a point where his foot is approaching his mouth. What point was he trying to make to his stockholders? I think I'd have just let the $20 billion quarter speak for itself.



    3 times.

    1) Steve's missive on Flash. He was dead on, and it put Adobe completely on their asses defending the indefensible.

    2) The antenna conference. Again, put the others on the defensive as they suddenly had to defend their own clay feet.

    3) Calling the emperor on his clothes by pointing out that 'open' is a ruse, and making the competitors post silly and hypocritical 'rebuttals'.



    Best defense is a good offense. Go Steve.
  • Reply 13 of 218
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tjw View Post


    This just shows jobs is making stuff up, obviously getting a little hot under the collar at the competition.....



    Yes there is competition but Apple controls ISO while the Android cell phone makers control nothing. And Android is fragmented. Has to be.

    The 3rd party handset makers are in it for the hardware sales. They could care less about Android. But as long as Google keeps cranking out cupcakes, and froyos the celly makers can always hold off updating(if ever) their current crop of tech swag in favor of new models. Which of course leads the geeks to rooting their sh**.
  • Reply 14 of 218
    paxmanpaxman Posts: 4,729member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by GQB View Post


    Rubin's Tweet had me rolling on the floor.

    Talk about a case study in 'not getting it'.

    He precisely makes the case as to why 'open' is completely meaningless to 99.9% of users (you know, the ones who actually buy things?).

    As to the benefit to developers, what is more important to most? That they can add some obscure functionality, or that they are given a frame work that allows them to actually get paid for their work?



    'open' is simply a religious movement (and for Google, a very selective one at that.)



    Personally I only care about 'open' in terms of the end user. I do wish all all document formats were 'open' ie platform independent and software independent. The last one with caveats, of course. I don't expect Word to open PS files. Thank god email and texting are 'open'.
  • Reply 15 of 218
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by GQB View Post


    3 times.

    1) Steve's missive on Flash. He was dead on, and it put Adobe completely on their asses defending the indefensible.

    2) The antenna conference. Again, put the others on the defensive as they suddenly had to defend their own clay feet.

    3) Calling the emperor on his clothes by pointing out that 'open' is a ruse, and making the competitors post silly and hypocritical 'rebuttals'.



    Best defense is a good offense. Go Steve.



    If a $20 billion quarter doesn't get stockholder's attention, nothing else will. All Steve had to do was come on stage and point to a slide that says $20 billion. Point and say "We do know what we're doing". Specifically calling out competitors just comes across as a bit bush league.
  • Reply 16 of 218
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Curmudgeon View Post


    Does it seem like Mr. Jobs as been a little more vocal than usual. Perhaps to a point where his foot is approaching his mouth. What point was he trying to make to his stockholders? I think I'd have just let the $20 billion quarter speak for itself.



    Yeah, he's starting to sound like any other whiny idiot and the reality distortion field doesn't seem to work at all when it's audio only. I listened to his remarks and they just sounded bad to me.



    A lot of what he says is technically true, but is so terribly "spun" that it's transparently kind of not true at all. He looks ridiculous saying some of these things when they are obviously very slanted remarks. Does he really expect us to just believe everything he says when it doesn't even make sense?



    He sounds more than a bit irrational to me lately.
  • Reply 17 of 218
    tnsftnsf Posts: 203member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Curmudgeon View Post


    If a $20 billion quarter doesn't get stockholder's attention, nothing else will. All Steve had to do was come on stage and point to a slide that says $20 billion. Point and say "We do know what we're doing". Specifically calling out competitors just comes across as a bit bush league.



    Jobs was responding to recent Google activity where Google has publicly declared themselves to be open and Apple to be closed. Google has publicly said that the Apple approach is negative for Apple users.



    So Jobs spanked Google and basically said go worry about your own problems because Apple is just fine thank you very much.
  • Reply 18 of 218
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tjw View Post


    This just shows jobs is making stuff up, obviously getting a little hot under the collar at the competition.....



    I think the headline is misleading. They responded; did not refute. Tweetdeck didnt say they didn't have 100 versions. They just say its no problem.
  • Reply 19 of 218
    gustavgustav Posts: 827member
    Ha ha!



    Two things I notice:



    1. It's a Twitter app - of course you aren't seeing a problem because any Android can run a twitter app. Now make an app where you have to do full screen artwork (which resolution, again?), rely on hardware features, or GPU - see how much fragmentation matters then.



    2. It takes two developers to make a Twitter app? It's not an office suite, for goodness sake. Maybe it has some complex features that I'm not aware of.
  • Reply 20 of 218
    gwydiongwydion Posts: 1,083member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by stormj View Post


    I think the headline is misleading. They responded; did not refute. Tweetdeck didnt say they didn't have 100 versions. They just say its no problem.



    They don't have 100 version, they only have one
Sign In or Register to comment.