Tuesday, August 07, 2012

Apple vs Google – adding to the fall-out

Latest Apple iOS 6 operating system for iPads and iPhones, test version released Monday, does not include YouTube as built-in app!  YouTube app has been part of the operating system since the original iPhone (2007).

Apple issued statement that license has expired, and people can use Web browsers to view YouTube videos.  Google, committed to providing iOS users with a great YouTube experience, is said to be working on new YouTube app to be available via Apple App Store. 

Is this really a big deal?  Today, YouTube videos are in video formats (no longer Flash) that are supported by Apple’s smartphone. 

Apple, however, seems threatened!  Between patent wars with Samsung (Google’s biggest Android phone partner) and Google Maps powered mapping service no more – iOS versus Android operating systems continue to battle on.

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/06/apple-to-remove-youtube-app-from-iphone-and-ipad/?ref=technology

1 comment:

Unknown said...

The core of this issue is really going to boil down to the fact that Apple is a closed eco-system. As a result they are being forced to walk down an increasingly isolationist path. It starts with the Maps app, then the YouTube app, the problem is that Apple and Google need each other in many ways and isolation won't bode well for either of them.

For Apple, isolationism means that the company will have to take on the creation of more utilities and core functions, maps, street view, etc. these are all things that are available today. And while Apple can make a one time push to develop its own map app, does it really want to take on continuous updates? Google has made a significant investment in its map capabilities and I'm unsure of Apple's resolve to invest similarly in a non-core element of its business.

In terms of Google, its silly to lock out Apple. Apple devices have set the bar in the minds of consumers and the proliferation of their devices make it a tough sell to limit content on certain OSs. Just think for a second about tablets. Apple has sold millions of tablets in the US where as Google based tablets have sold "thousands".

Again, these two are going to have to learn to play nice in the sandbox if they know what's good for them.