Apple's Thermonuclear War - Cult of Mac

Apple's Thermonuclear War - Cult of Mac

A few years ago, everything was peaceful in the Valley of Silicon. The relationship between Apple and Google was cozy and friendly. The two rising and dominant superpowers pursued compatible, non-overlapping businesses, for the most part, and helped each other fight mutual competitors like Microsoft, Amazon and others. Google’s founders worshiped Steve Jobs. Eric Schmidt was on the Apple board.

But then Google recklessly chose to attack Apple head-on with Android.

Click to expand...

Interesting take. I'm not sure how much of an impact any or all of the "nuke" options will have on Google unless Apple makes their services (Siri, Apple Maps etc) available to compete against Google directly outside of the Appleverse.

If history is any indication, I doubt that much in the article will come to pass. Cases in point, IBM, AT&T and Microsoft. Once they were absolute leaders in their fields, but eventually when you get big enough, you have to get out of "my way or the highway" mode or General Sherman comes marching in with his antitrust forces.

I'm not a lawyer by a long shot, but from my observations, Apple is just shy of triggering the forces of get nicer or else. Google is already dancing around the edges of the cliff. The Steve Job's method of slicing into the competition with a sword is great, and perfectly legal when you are trying to save a company from bankruptcy and grow it, but eventually it will turn around and bite you if you don't mellow it out when you get to be number 1.

Unless you are a massive National Bank on the public dole, of course.

I hope that Tim Cook is a student of industry history - the last thing we want is an Apple being controlled by a bureaucrat. It might have already happened if the government didn't have a few other things on their plate at the moment.

Just my opinion. You may have a different one.

As long as I get something that I enjoy using, I don't really care what happens.

I personally think that Apple is attacking them, simply for the fact they are afraid.

TabletRevlution said:

I personally think that Apple is attacking them, simply for the fact they are afraid.

Click to expand...

Not out of fear but for alleged copying.

baggss said:

Interesting take. I'm not sure how much of an impact any or all of the "nuke" options will have on Google unless Apple makes their services (Siri, Apple Maps etc) available to compete against Google directly outside of the Appleverse.

Click to expand...

This, exactly.

Im suprised with the posts in this thread, only one, that has the apple goggles on.

It has gotten worse since tim cook jump up to run the show. I agree with the running scared bit. Steve was an amazing human in many ways. unfortunately, he was apple! no other one there!

^ I agree completely....was thinking the very same thing.

If you are right and Steve was Apple and nothing they do now will be any good, why not go back to Windows? Windows 8 with that lOVELY interface with large icons all over the screen is so intuitive! Yeah right.

Why not give Apple a chance and see what happens? Some seem to be saying it's over.


And are you saying Tim Cook is the one suing google? Look again. JOBS said he would spend all Apples $40Billion to bring Google and the Android down. Google it. Not Tim Cook, Jobs!

dtravis7 said:

If you are right and Steve was Apple and nothing they do now will be any good, why not go back to Windows? Windows 8 with that lOVELY interface with large icons all over the screen is so intuitive! Yeah right.

Why not give Apple a chance and see what happens? Some seem to be saying it's over.


And are you saying Tim Cook is the one suing google? Look again. JOBS said he would spend all Apples $40Billion to bring Google and the Android down. Google it. Not Tim Cook, Jobs!

Click to expand...

Well said and accurate.

Everyone roots for the underdog until the underdog becomes the alpha dog.

Hippies hated the establishment until they became the establishment. Lots of analogies, but you get the idea...

It will be interesting to see what happens. I read a highly speculative article in a market magazine a month or so ago. The gist of it was suggesting that perhaps someone else might not be as successful as Steve using Steve's method of marketing, competition, etc... Basically, Steve got away with some demands and tantrums because he was Steve - an iconic, well connected and historical figure in the industry. I'd be interested to see if Apple has to change up their approach a bit as perhaps others will not tolerate some demands and behaviors as they once did coming from one of the guys who started the whole revolution.

Van Halen without Roth. Pink Floyd without Waters. The same, but entirely different...

"Van Halen without Roth. Pink Floyd without waters."

Wow.Seen both..."er,with and without..." (both mega).Get your drift though.Do not understand when I hear "Apple without Jobs,etc". "Doom and gloom" and so-on.Tim Cook,whilst following Steve's instructions,for future projects,will,to coin a phrase (sorry Frank) "do it my way".Apple is in good shape,and safe hands.Sure,competitors will "compete",such is healthy progress,but Apple are,in my mind,entrenched in the psyche of "their loyal fans" (worldwide).New Apple product,new hype,total success.
Some people laughed when Jobs "showed" the iPad,They "aint" laughing now.

I bet there are items on the drawing boards so to speak that have a lot of Steve influence we have not seen yet.

I definantly never laughed when the ipad was announced...what a wicked peice of tech. Im just saying that since steve left, the lawsuits just exploded from apple against everyone, most of which they are loosing btw. I think their money could be used in other ways to develop new product and customer streams. I hope the legal hoopla dies out and they do develop new cool stuff. I won't be first in line, as i think thats the stupidest thing ever, to wait outside a store etc just to get a product. i will just wait a week and walk in and buy it...

The lawsuits had exploded in the tech industry, just generally and including Apple, long before Steve left...that's for certain.

This makes me think of the classic idiom... "if you can't innovate, litigate". I sure hope that isn't the case with Apple, but you have to wonder.

BrianLachoreVPI said:

The lawsuits had exploded in the tech industry, just generally and including Apple, long before Steve left...that's for certain.

Click to expand...

Absolutely. The constant legal maneuvering and lawsuits began during Jobs' stewardship of Apple, even while he was relatively healthy. We all remember the thinly veiled threats that Jobs and the senior leadership at Apple made both at the launch of the iPhone and on many subsequent investor calls.

Let's not forget that Apple actually sued Microsoft over the GUI that appeared with Windows 3. Apple lost that one but I believe that suit took place during Job's first reign as CEO.

Yes there were lawsuits during steves awesome growth of apple, but they were over more substantial claims. C'mon, samsung, you can't build your tablet with a flat screen and a square/rectangle shape with rounded edges? really? thats really grasping at straws to try to stop a product from being sold...It makes you wonder guys/gals.

Again, I will use my comparison in the automotive industry, ford sues chevrolet over design, stating that chev's car cannot have 4 wheels at the corners, AND the remaining wheels that are designed cannot touch the ground. Thats exactly where apple was going with the suit against samsung and tabletgate...

I am pleased to see a staffer actutally agree with my point of view, and that its good to see someone like myself who loves tech stuff not blinded by brand...but have an open mind to whats actually going on. He knows how I feel about apple, we had a great pvt chat about it and how I am using apple products, even though the switch to android is a good possibility because of apples reluctance to work with us and help develop new apps (not for free), for our organization and pilot project. Im thinking that the open source of android maybe a better fit once we start getting apps developed specifically for our needs. but who knows, after they get through all their legal yaffles, apple might come around. We just purchased 15 ipad 2, for our autism society.

EDIT: apple should be careful if they are developing a 7" ipad or they may have that lawsuit fired right back at them from samsung..