Google CEO Larry Page says rivalries with Apple & Amazon hurt users
Google Chief Executive Larry Page has lamented the "island-like approach" companies have taken in commercializing the Internet, as services from Google, Apple and Amazon do not integrate well with one another.
Page's comments come from an interview with Fortune published on Tuesday, in which he said it is "a shame" that the three biggest technology companies are competing with each other with completely different business models. While Apple makes its money off of hardware, Google sells advertising that accompanies its free services, and Amazon opts for a low-margin, high-volume approach selling items and content from its Web-based store.
"All the big technology companies are big because they did something great," Page said. I"d like to see more cooperation on the user side. The Internet was made in universities and it was designed to integrate. And as we've commercialized it, we've added more of an island-like approach to it, which I think is somewhat of a shame for users."
The Google CEO said he feels it "would be nice" if his company got along better with rivals like Apple and Amazon. He believes more cooperation would make users "suffer" less.
"We try pretty hard to make our products available as widely as we can. That's our philosophy," he said. "I think sometimes we're allowed to do that. Sometimes we're not."
When asked whether Google talks with Apple about resolving some of these issues, Page simply said that his company has a "big search relationship" with Apple, and that the two sides do talk.
Page also revealed he was friendly with Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, though only "at times." He clarified earlier comments in which he said he believed Jobs' hatred of Android was "for show," adding that he felt it was "partly" to energize Apple's employees and supporters.
"That's something I try not to do," Page said. "I don't try to rally my company in that way because I think that if you're looking at somebody else, you're looking at what they do now, and that's not how again you stay two or three steps ahead."
The interview didn't touch on recent reports that claimed Page was in direct talks with Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook about patent litigation. One report from August claimed that the two CEOs have had phone conversations with one another about intellectual property issues.
Cook has been more delicate with his choice of words than his predecessor, Jobs, who told biographer Walter Isaacson that he viewed Google's Android platform as a "stolen product." The late Jobs vowed to spend his "last dying breath" along with "every penny" that Apple had in the bank "to right this wrong."
Page's comments come from an interview with Fortune published on Tuesday, in which he said it is "a shame" that the three biggest technology companies are competing with each other with completely different business models. While Apple makes its money off of hardware, Google sells advertising that accompanies its free services, and Amazon opts for a low-margin, high-volume approach selling items and content from its Web-based store.
"All the big technology companies are big because they did something great," Page said. I"d like to see more cooperation on the user side. The Internet was made in universities and it was designed to integrate. And as we've commercialized it, we've added more of an island-like approach to it, which I think is somewhat of a shame for users."
The Google CEO said he feels it "would be nice" if his company got along better with rivals like Apple and Amazon. He believes more cooperation would make users "suffer" less.
"We try pretty hard to make our products available as widely as we can. That's our philosophy," he said. "I think sometimes we're allowed to do that. Sometimes we're not."
When asked whether Google talks with Apple about resolving some of these issues, Page simply said that his company has a "big search relationship" with Apple, and that the two sides do talk.
Page also revealed he was friendly with Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, though only "at times." He clarified earlier comments in which he said he believed Jobs' hatred of Android was "for show," adding that he felt it was "partly" to energize Apple's employees and supporters.
"That's something I try not to do," Page said. "I don't try to rally my company in that way because I think that if you're looking at somebody else, you're looking at what they do now, and that's not how again you stay two or three steps ahead."
The interview didn't touch on recent reports that claimed Page was in direct talks with Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook about patent litigation. One report from August claimed that the two CEOs have had phone conversations with one another about intellectual property issues.
Cook has been more delicate with his choice of words than his predecessor, Jobs, who told biographer Walter Isaacson that he viewed Google's Android platform as a "stolen product." The late Jobs vowed to spend his "last dying breath" along with "every penny" that Apple had in the bank "to right this wrong."
Comments
So maybe don't start "rivalries", then.
"All the big technology companies are big because they did something great," Page said. I"d like to see more cooperation on the user side…
Fine, release your search algorithms so that everyone can have great searching.
This comment sounds to me more like Larry wants Apple etc to get in board with doing things 'the Google Way' so they will stop blocking Google's requests for private info about users.
And perhaps as well they will stop denying Google access to those 'defacto standards' patents that Google wants to use in Android.
Google shut down their search API. That doesn't sound like they are trying to work with anyone.
Blatantly copying a mobile OS and offering it for free is bad for the company that originally created the OS too.
And for the record...I'm not hurting at all Larry. Its just too god damn bad Android fanboys can't get an exact copy of iOS and claim its their own.
I think Google is slowly starting to go down hill a little. Other than Android and search, everything else they do is a massive failure. You can't beat people by copying them. You need to make something better and truly innovative.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
So maybe don't start "rivalries", then.
Fine, release your search algorithms so that everyone can have great searching.
I don't think anyone advocates Apple giving up all their IP. With that said if Congress or the courts see fit to disallow Google software patents for search or any other purpose, I think it would be marvelous.
What an evil comment. Yes, integrate everything to Google, let your streams of data flow to the master vault of privacy violations.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AppleInsider
Google Chief Executive Larry Page has lamented the "island-like approach" companies have taken in commercializing the Internet, as services from Google, Apple and Amazon do not integrate well with one another.
Page's comments come from an interview with Fortune published on Tuesday, in which he said it is "a shame" that the three biggest technology companies are competing with each other with completely different business models. While Apple makes its money off of hardware, Google sells advertising that accompanies its free services, and Amazon opts for a low-margin, high-volume approach selling items and content from its Web-based store.
"All the big technology companies are big because they did something great," Page said. I"d like to see more cooperation on the user side. The Internet was made in universities and it was designed to integrate. And as we've commercialized it, we've added more of an island-like approach to it, which I think is somewhat of a shame for users." ...
What a bunch of self-serving BS from this sociopath. Yeah, Larry, it's a shame that everyone won't just roll over and let you control everything, a real shame.
Rivalry, aka "competition," is actually good. What's not good is outright theft in order to profit off of someone else's work. It's called things like "ethics" and "integrity," something you seem to know nothing about.
Both good points!
The comments here are pretty negative, but here's what really happens:
Can't use Android device to control AppleTV. The GoogleTV protocol is open, so the opposite is possible..
Airplay isn't an open protocol.
Android gets some benefits to accessing Google unpublished APIs. It has been getting a bit better as of late, but Apple/Android experiences aren't equal.
Originally Posted by bryanl
Android gets some benefits to accessing Google unpublished APIs. It has been getting a bit better as of late, but Apple/Android experiences aren't equal.
Right, Apple's better, despite missing out on them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by charlituna
This comment sounds to me more like Larry wants Apple etc to get in board with doing things 'the Google Way' so they will stop blocking Google's requests for private info about users.
And perhaps as well they will stop denying Google access to those 'defacto standards' patents that Google wants to use in Android.
Google's CEO was sitting on Apple's board, being privy to Apple's plans and products while at the same time planning to compete with their "partner" by producing basically a clone of Apple's work. That is beyond a sh*tty thing to do to your "partner". Eric, should have "excused himself" from Apple's board long before, while stating that they were planning to compete "head to head" with Apple... but then again think of all of the intel he wouldn't have been able to gather if he did that.
Eric Schmidt was essentially a mole on Apple's board. Google wanted to be sure that their maps, search and YouTube was on Apple's devices so they could harvest user data AND gain insight on Apple's products and plans. Had Apple known what Google was planning, their is no way in hell that Eric Schmidt would have been allowed anywhere near the Apple campus let alone sit on their board. Steve was furious because he was betrayed by a snake posing as a partner.
Apple kept the iPad secret from Eric which is why Google is still so far behind Apple in the Tablet space - they didn't have Apple to show them how it's done so they'd have something to clone.
It's like Apple having their CEO on Google's board while planning to build a search engine to compete head to head with Google's. Google knew what they were doing and they kept Eric as close to Apple as they could until right before they went public with their iOS clone. Greasy and dishonest to say the least.
That said, I am sick and tired of the legal crap. I say get out of the court room and back into the R and D labs.
Google's attempt at trying to look like the good guy makes me sick.
"Porsche should let us obtain their motor designs. For free. This will be most beneficial to users. But does Porsche comply? Nooooooo! They say their designs are the results of years of R&D, to which we say 'So what!, think about customers first, not profits'.
I hear what Larry's saying, but I don't get it, especially when superimposed on a free-market system whose sole purpose is to return its shareholders a profit.
He cites the problem, then closes the loop on it: "And as we've commercialized it, we've added more of an island-like approach to it, which I think is somewhat of a shame for users."
Quote:
Originally Posted by macxpress
I think Google is slowly starting to go down hill a little. Other than Android and search, everything else they do is a massive failure. You can't beat people by copying them. You need to make something better and truly innovative.
While I agree with you in principle, yes you CAN beat someone by copying. Biggest example? Microsoft.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bilbo63
Google's CEO was sitting on Apple's board, being privy to Apple's plans and products while at the same time planning to compete with their "partner" by producing basically a clone of Apple's work. That is beyond a sh*tty thing to do to your "partner". Eric, should have "excused himself" from Apple's board long before, while stating that they were planning to compete "head to head" with Apple... but then again think of all of the intel he wouldn't have been able to gather if he did that.
An oft-repeated claim that doesn't even make sense.
First off, Jobs _NEVER_ accused Schmidt of stealing anything from board meetings. He only went "thermonuclear" three years after the iPhone debut, when Google finally turned on multi-touch. At that point, Jobs called Google copiers... as if Apple had invented multi-touch, which they did not.
Google bought Android back in mid-2005. Suddenly Apple became very interested in making a phone as well and started creating the first iPod based UI test mules. A year later, Apple _invites_ Schmidt to their board. Who was spying on whom?
Finally, Schmidt was only in a few months' meetings (at which we don't even know if he was shown anything... heck, Apple didn't even show the iPhone to the CEO of Cingular until late December 2006) before the iPhone debut in 2007. After that, anyone could copy it. You sure didn't need someone invited to the Apple board to do that.
Quote:
Eric Schmidt was essentially a mole on Apple's board. Google wanted to be sure that their maps, search and YouTube was on Apple's devices so they could harvest user data AND gain insight on Apple's products and plans. Had Apple known what Google was planning, their is no way in hell that Eric Schmidt would have been allowed anywhere near the Apple campus let alone sit on their board. Steve was furious because he was betrayed by a snake posing as a partner.
It was symbiotic, as Apple needed Google's help. By Nov 2006 the iPhone had no Maps app. It sure didn't have cell location or YouTube, either. They had to rush to add the Maps before the debut two months later, and that only happened because Google bent over backwards to help them. No doubt Schmidt helped. Can you imagine the debut without Maps? It was a major feature. So was YouTube and location services later that year.
Quote:
Apple kept the iPad secret from Eric which is why Google is still so far behind Apple in the Tablet space - they didn't have Apple to show them how it's done so they'd have something to clone.
Everyone looks at others' stuff. For example, it took a 7" Samsung tablet to convince Apple and Jobs to do the iPad Mini.
I didn't think so.
How about provide some real technical and customer support for your products so the users suffer less?
With regard to the story, it's the same smoke and mirrors every company does. Appear to be pro-consumer in the media, while behind closed doors developing proprietary standards and trying to kill competitors. Claim that the other guy isn't open enough- because you want to steal their technology while outwardly appearing to be "for the common good."
It's a load of BS, and people like Larry Page know it. Companies exist to make money, and while that principle still applies, there will ALWAYS be competition, legal posturing and walled gardens.
Wake me up when Larry actually backs up his statement by opening up google IP for his competitors.