Apple vs. Google in Battle of the Startup Acquisitions!
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Google and Apple are not only increasingly in each others' space, but getting into each others faces in a battle to acquire -- and prevent each other from acquiring -- strategic startups. Google was in "serious discussions" to buy online music streaming service Lala before Apple swooped in and nabbed it for $85 million. Likewise, Apple was interested in picking up Admob to protect information about its App Store before Google grabbed it for $750.
Google, which has nearly $22 billion in cash, has been particularly active. In addition to AdMob, Google bought display-ad company Teracent Corp. and Internet-phone provider Gizmo5 Technologies Inc. in November. Last week it purchased AppJet Inc., a maker of online collaboration software.
Apple, which has $34 billion in cash, has been exploring buying iPhone-related technologies that it doesn't yet have, say people familiar with the matter. Its moves are generating particular attention because Apple has made fewer acquisitions than other companies of its size.
All this follows Google's launch of Android OS for Smartphones, Chrome OS for netbooks, CEO, Eric Schmidt, leaving Apple's board of directors, and Apple denying Google Voice and Google Latitude entry into the iPhone App Store.
Again, TiPb just wants to make sure users are the ones that benefit from great smartphones and services in the end. In a battle between King Kong and Godzilla, it's important we're the audience enjoying a great experience, and not the city folk fleeing as the monsters stomp all over us.
Editor-in-Chief of iMore, Executive Producer at Mobile Nations, co-host of Iterate and ZEN and TECH, cook, grappler, photon wrangler.
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I'd say Google got the better deal - for $750, I should have bought AdMob myself.
(Rene, I think you are missing an m)
Thus is funny, I love the whole king kong and godzila comment. But If anything I'm sticking with apple I love google but why can't we just get along. We should have the best of both worlds.
Google has never had much of anything to offer me (other than its organic listings and AdWords for my online business), so I could care less about their mobile efforts. Most of their services are too inelegant and uninspiring for my needs.
But of course, I'll take anything good from them that may come along in the future.
love my iphone, but android is shaping up to be good competition and that's a good thing. i have a 3g and am going to skip the 3gs to see what apple rolls out this summer (assuming they do). if the new iphone doesn't have more wow than the 3gs, i may give android 2.0 a serious look. as long as it's not on verizon.
sounds like a good old game of monopoly
People whether we like itnor not Google is taking over. They are every where much like Microsoft was/is but only difference is that Googles reach gies deeper than any other company out there. I welcome anything they introduce if I wasn't so in love with my iPhone I would probably give the mytouch a serious go round.
@MobileVirgin
Oh no...I'm saying this as an Android enthusiast...do NOT ever dump the iPhone for MyTouch. EVER!!! You'll only hurt yourself in the process, lol.
But I agree, Google started this earlier. When you hear something being bought, it's normally by Google. And they always seem to beat everyone to the punch.
Building upon that is that they don't just buy and let it sit there. They take it and create something fantastic out of it. Who knew that when they purchased Mr. Rubin's Android those years ago that this would be the outcome. And all this started from 2 college student's search venture.
This is just incredible. They're truly like a droid (pun intended) just assimilating everything in it's path and integrating their features to make themselves even better.
But one thing that does get me is the Lala/iTunes rumors. I would love music in the cloud. If Apple can beat Google, the king of the cloud, to that punch...that would be a major blow.
Wow thanks for the warning iDavey
In all honesty I think that the power behind Google is in it's name, it's so simple it's genius. I mean really think about it when was the last you said " I'm gonna Yahoo that or aol this store or diner. But Google is on the mouths of everyone without thinking about it. If you don't believe me then Google it( no pun intended but point made), simpilicity makes the consumer feel that the product truly has them in mind. While Apple, tries to control everything that you do, and Microsoft not fixing or taking responsibility for their buggy products, Google not only gives you freedom to do what you want but they also adress and fix any issues that come to their attention. Just look at all the updates Google sends out over the period of a couple of months vs apple or Microsoft. I'm just saying that Google has gained the trust of the consumer and are taking advantage of this.
Apples strong point is hardware, they have a serious advantage in that they don't have to cater to multiple platforms when they create their OS that is the problem that plagued Microsoft and I strongly believe that the Android OS is going to get bogged down the same way. Time will tell but I got a strong feeling that by time google hammers out compatibility problems with each new Gphone they will keep lagging Apple who can just plow forward.
informative post