cloudguy

Gaby said:

Somehow I doubt apple needs to use google trends data when it has plenty of its own from App Store activity and app usage data. 

Epic continues to insult our intelligence and disrespect the court in the same manner. It’s arguments can be described as weak at best. I really cannot abide Sweeney. He’s so disingenuous. Even his photo creeps me out

Huh? Apple's data is only relevant for users on Apple's platform. Meaning that if iOS users fell by 75% while users on all other platforms - PlayStation, XBox, Android, Windows - increased by 75%, only Epic would know this. Apple would only know about the 75% decline on iOS, iPadOS and MacOS. Since Apple has to get data on Nintendo - for example - user engagement somewhere, it would have had to have been Google or some other third party source. Like it or not, Google search and ads data is pretty much going to be the best there is for a global (sans China) multiplatform perspective. Apple's walled garden - and its hardware first services later focus - isn't cut out for that type of stuff.

KillBillOG said:

YouTube seems to just ignore or seek to defeat OS level functionality when it comes to vintent it streams, it f’s with captioning tools, windowing across screens and audio output choices. In TV OS the swipe down control is totally ignored and the long press to invoke audio or HomeKit etc is flaky only on the YouTube app. Hmmmm 

You are aware that Google isn't obligated to provide a YouTube app to iOS at all?
1. Apple certainly exercises this prerogative (where Apple Music and Move to iOS are literally the only two Apple apps in the Play Store).
2. Google also removed their YouTube app from Amazon devices for a time (because Amazon was refusing to sell Android TV, Chromecast and Nest devices).
3. Google never provided YouTube (or Gmail, Chrome or anything else) to Windows Phone during that platform's entire history.

Seriously, what is it that makes people believe that Google or anyone else is obligated to provide any particular app or service to Apple? People generally want to provide apps and services to Apple because they like making money off Apple consumers. But Google and everyone else has as much right to reserve their apps and services for their own platform - or even provide their apps and services to every platform but Apple's, as Apple is currently doing by providing Apple TV+ to every platform but Android, including even Fire TV which is also Android which lets you know that the limitation isn't technical in any way - as Apple or anyone else.

This is absolutely absurd.

0. Apple does not make iMessage available to Android.
1. Apple does not make iTunes available to Android even though it is available for Windows.
2. Apple releases AppleTV+ on every platform but Google Android including Fire TV (non-Google Android).
3. Apple blocks Stadia entirely, depriving it of any chance of gaining a subscriber base before superior xCloud launched (and before Amazon Prime Gaming Cloud launches in 2021).

And you folks are upset that Google isn't supporting a single brand new feature on iOS? 

Wow, talk about entitled. People who own both Android and Apple devices - yes there are a lot of us - don't even have iCloud apps. We have to use the website. Yet you expect top tier support for a feature that was enabled just Tuesday? From a competitor?

Let me put it another way. You are only now able to make Chrome and Gmail default apps on iOS. (Or at least you will when Google gets around to updating the apps.) Unlike PIP for Apple, Chrome and Gmail are vital services for Google's survival!

Even better: Apple won't even let apps named "Android" in the App Store! Google had to rename them "Google" and change their entire branding strategy! 

Look, Google isn't obligated to allow iOS access to YouTube at all. So long as it is available to Windows and macOS through the browser, it isn't a monopoly. (Google infamously refused to provide YouTube, Gmail, Chrome and Google Docs apps to Windows Phone, remember?) And even if it is a monopoly, so what? Google has just as much right to monopolize services for its own platform as Apple had the right to buy Dark Sky, delete it from the Google Play Store and cancel the service for its millions of Android subscribers, turn off its API that was used by dozens of Android apps and even shut down its website!

Wow, isn't someone - anyone - out there willing or able to provide a reality check here?

The Pixel phones will fail because Google insists on refusing to give Android fans what they actually want, which are the best hardware specs for the best price. If you are going to charge as much for your phones as, say, LG does, then your phones better have the same features. Pixels don't. Instead, they generally offer less RAM, smaller batteries, inferior cameras, no SD cards or headphone jacks etc. in return for a bunch of AI features that no one cares about. Now that Samsung is matching Google's 3 year update policy (Qualcomm is the reason why they can't go past 3 years) that takes away the last reason to buy the things.

"Also expected are updates to the Chromecast and Google Home lineups."

More Google stupidity. First off, Google is eliminating Chromecast and replacing it with an Android TV device with a Chromecast form factor. (Android TV devices include Chromecast functionality.) The problem? Google had the capability to do this years ago. Now it is basically too late. Second, Google could have launched both the new Google Home speaker and the Chromecast months ago ... the hardware and software have long been ready. Instead they delayed them for an October launch. Why? So they could be included in the "launch event" with the Pixels. They want to have "launch events" like Apple, Microsoft and Samsung. But here is the deal: Microsoft, Apple and Samsung are large companies who sell a lot of products. That is why they are able to have launch events. Small companies - which Google's "hardware division" clearly is - don't have launch events. They publicize their products at trade shows like CES and roll them out. Google has lost 6 months of sales on these devices because they keep deluding themselves into thinking that they are a large and influential hardware company like Apple, Samsung or even LG.

Absurd.

All I did was make a political statement.