AfterDawn: Tech news

Steve Jobs feels betrayed by Google?

Written by James Delahunty @ 14 Mar 2010 7:08 User comments (15)

Steve Jobs feels betrayed by Google? According to an article in the New York Times, Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs feels that Google violated the alliance it had with the iPhone-maker. The article highlights the growing bitter rivalry between Apple and Google Inc. due to Google's release of products and software that would compete with Apple technologies.
"We did not enter the search business. They entered the phone business," Jobs was quoted as saying at a company meeting. "Make no mistake; Google wants to kill the iPhone. We won't let them." The article says that the comments were reportedly met with "thunderous applause" from the Apple employees present at the meeting.

After Google released its Android operating system for mobile devices, relations between the companies reportedly started to sour. A number of heated meetings between Apple and Google executives reportedly followed the software release, many of which apparently turned confrontational with Jobs accusing Google of stealing features from the iPhone.



According to the article, Google executives disagreed and felt that the features the company allegedly stole from Apple were based on longstanding concepts and ideas circulating in the industry, and also pointed out that some Android prototypes predated the iPhone itself.

At the lowest point of the dispute, Jobs reportedly warned Google executives that he would sue the company if they deployed a version of Android that uses multitouch - a majorly defining feature of the iPhone.

So nasty is the dispute between both companies that reports surfaced in recent weeks about Apple and Microsoft potentially partnering to make Bing the default search engine for iPhone. Recently, Google also acquired AdMob for $750 million; reportedly paying a premium just to keep the company out of Apple's hands.

"While Apple conducted due diligence on the deal, AdMob agreed to a 45-day 'no shop' provision, a routine clause that prevented the start-up from offering itself for sale to others, according to three people briefed on the negotiations. But after Apple inexplicably let 45 days pass without consummating its offer, Google pounced," the NYT article reads.

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15 user comments

114.3.2010 19:24

and apple customers feel betrayed by steve jobs coz of the 350% markup

15 quid for a cable to plug your ipod into the tv ? yeah, right

214.3.2010 20:13

Cry me a river Steve Jobs. It's a little thing called competition. If your in the technology/electronics industry, you better get used to it... and they have been in it for years and years. He's acting as if Apple invented touch-screens and were the first company to get into the smartphone business, and that since there are a lot of new smartphones that are cheaper, have more features, are sleeker and built better, somehow these companies are "stealing his ideas"??? Ideas that have been around for years.

Quote:
Make no mistake; Google wants to kill the iPhone. We won't let them.
If he's going to say something like that about Google, then I guess EVERY other smartphone maker wants to kill the iPhone ?... Give me a break.
This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 14 Mar 2010 @ 8:15

314.3.2010 21:33

Somebody throw some tissue for Steve Jobs and have violin music play in the background.

414.3.2010 22:21
llongtheD
Inactive

It sounds to me like Jobs is afraid that his DRM laden, tightly controlled products might lose more market share to the open source platform. Poor apple, maybe the time of raping consumers is over.
I know its not over, there are still plenty of people willing to pay the premium unfortunately. I'm also sure that Google is quaking in its boots over the threatened lawsuit.

514.3.2010 22:30

This makes me want to look into getting Google's smartphone. Maybe I'll go do that right now.

615.3.2010 00:03

Oh, poor cry baby, Stevie!
The guys at crApple feel threatened finally on their own ground. I guess they felt pretty secure, with Nokia and Symbian being on the European/Asian market, they thought the North American market was covered...Now that Google launched an open source system, the only thing that gives the iPhone a few steps ahead is the apps available. But that's because they had a jump start. Lets see in a year or so, especially with Android being open source.
A few useless apps cannot make up for the lack of everything else anyway.

715.3.2010 04:29

someone needs to mail Steve Jobs a package containing a bottle of Johnson & Johnson's No more tears baby shampoo and a box of tampons because hes one hell of a damn cry baby pussy when it comes to doing business against other people.

Maybe thats why he loves creating his own locked down markets? To be king of a small land and trip over his ego of being so merciful to customers to let them send him their bought products and pay for him to change the batteries... What a great guy!

815.3.2010 07:23

Get over it Steve. I own one of Apple's products only because it was given to me. No it's not an iPod or an iPhone. Apple is afraid of any kind of competition now.

Apple go into the search engine business. Yeah right. They are not even in the operating system business or they'd be trying to sell to non-Apple owners too.

I'm pretty sure neither the idea of "multitouch" nor the technology itself was invented by Apple though they might have trademarked a name. They have little hope of stopping any other company using the concept.

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 21 Mar 2010 @ 6:55

915.3.2010 07:40

Keep in mind Eric Schmidt (CEO of Google) was on Apple board of directors for many years until recently, so he was privy to some of Apple's future plans.

And regarding the Nexus One, HTC is now saying it was never meant to be carried in people's pockets. WHAT???

1016.3.2010 10:47

Originally posted by beanos66:
and apple customers feel betrayed by steve jobs coz of the 350% markup

15 quid for a cable to plug your ipod into the tv ? yeah, right
Hehe, indeed, and the same re the other replies about Apple's mark-up of Fisher Price technology for those dim enough and vain enough to buy their overpriced guff. Boohoo Jobs, isn't it enough that you have half the planet buying your crap and worshipping every device you create even if it serves no purpose (ie the iPad)

1118.3.2010 23:00

GREED!!!

1219.3.2010 02:07

Originally posted by miles64:
GREED!!!
Oh this is far worse than simple greed. Jobs is afraid someone is going to steal his thunder. He is smart enough to see he might not be the CEO of the year anymore.

1319.3.2010 11:27
alexeemo
Inactive

Originally posted by mike.m:
Cry me a river Steve Jobs. It's a little thing called competition. If your in the technology/electronics industry, you better get used to it... and they have been in it for years and years. He's acting as if Apple invented touch-screens and were the first company to get into the smartphone business, and that since there are a lot of new smartphones that are cheaper, have more features, are sleeker and built better, somehow these companies are "stealing his ideas"??? Ideas that have been around for years.

Quote:
Make no mistake; Google wants to kill the iPhone. We won't let them.
If he's going to say something like that about Google, then I guess EVERY other smartphone maker wants to kill the iPhone ?... Give me a break.
What a cry baby. Apple has had a near monopoly long enough, overcharging customers just for the name. Screw them AND Jobs!

1419.3.2010 21:40

I guess Steve now feels what Xerox felt when he stole the mouse from them...

1519.3.2010 21:44

Originally posted by hermes_vb:
I guess Steve now feels what Xerox felt when he stole the mouse from them...
Except that, you know, Google isn't exactly stealing anything, just presenting good competition to an open market.

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