Apple vs Google Getting Personal

The New York Times has a full length feature up about the state of the Apple vs. Google rivalry and how it’s getting personal. We’ve heard similar
several times before, of course, and Apple has filed a patent
infringement lawsuit against Android manufacturer HTC. But the details
here are interesting:

As Google’s plans took
shape, Apple and Google executives either met in person or spoke on the
phone on multiple occasions about Apple’s concern about Android,
executives on both sides say.

Many of those meetings turned
confrontational, according to people familiar with the discussions,
with Mr. Jobs often accusing Google of stealing iPhone features. Google
executives said that Android’s features were based on longstanding
ideas already circulating in the industry and that some Android
prototypes predated the iPhone.

At
one particularly heated meeting in 2008 on Google’s campus, Mr. Jobs
angrily told Google executives that if they deployed a version of
multitouch — the popular iPhone feature that allows users to control
their devices with flicks of their fingers — he would sue. Two people
briefed on the meeting described it as “fierce” and “heated.”

It’s
undeniable that Google bought Android before Apple released the iPhone
(though Apple was reportedly working on the iPhone/iPad technology for
2-3 years already by then). It’s also undeniable that the early
Android prototypes we saw looked more like BlackBerry or Windows Mobile
Standard, yet when Google debuted the G1, it was a full screen,
capacitive touch device with the same screen resolution as the iPhone.
From the Hero to the Droid to the Nexus One, similar form factors have
followed while the BlackBerry-esque devices have yet to be seen.

Many
other incidents, such as the still-unapproved/rejected Google Voice
app for iPhone, Google CEO Eric Schmidt leaving the Apple Board of
Directors, and Google buying (and paying a premium for) AdMob after
Apple expressed an interest in the company, are all said to result from
this souring in relations.

The two remain successful partners
for now, and Google keeps saying everything is “stable”. The NYT
suggests, however, that someone like longstanding Google mentor and
Apple board member Bill Campbell, formerly of Intuit, needs to act as a
peacemaker to bring the two giants back together. Otherwise, rumors
persist of Steve Ballmer and Microsoft’s Bing standing poised to take
Google’s place as Apple’s default search engine, map provider, and
ally.

It’s a long article
but well worth a read, especially the parts about how Google founders
Sergy Brin and Larry Page, and Steve Jobs used to enjoy a close
relationship. Check it out and let us know what you think…