Google and Apple talking video?

It's the stuff fanboy dreams are made of: Google and Apple, sittin' in a tree. In fact, if you nearly passed out when Stevie J. walked onto the stage the other day sans mock turtleneck, or started into hysterics when Larry Page rode into CES on the back of that SUV, you might want to sit down for this one. Google and Apple are supposedly, maybe, possibly talking up video interoperability with Google Video and Apple's forthcoming iTV device. All we've got to go on so far is a quote from Google's consumer product chief, Marissa Mayer, who has confirmed the two companies are "engaged in talks." What level of iTV integration this indicates, if any, is yet to be seen, and with the usual amount of tight-lipped action we normal get out of Apple and Google, we don't expect to know much more until the feature is upon us, but the addition of Eric Schmidt to Apple's board of directors is a good sign of things to come. Plus, we're sure good, video-ey things can happen with these two companies putting their heads together, and a bit of internet video can't hurt a device that so far doesn't look to have much more than DRM interoperability to set it apart.

[Via BBC News]

[nick @ Sep 18th 2006 11:23AM]

very cool news, its good to see google and apple "in talks" even if its not real it looks good lol.

[wvx @ Sep 18th 2006 12:58PM]

It's obvious. It's going to be Apple+Google vs Microsoft. Stevie J hinted to this during WWDC keynote when he included Google with Apple in regards to Microsoft copying them. Why would he even mention Google?

[Little Joe @ Sep 18th 2006 11:25AM]

theres nothing on video.google that i would ever want on my tv

[ps2 @ Sep 18th 2006 10:21PM]

i quite like penn & teller's bullsh*t show that seems to be up. also, there's a bunch of old george carlin live shows, too. but yeah, not managed to find anything else worth watching. and, certainly not going to pay for their poor quality streams.

[JJ @ Sep 18th 2006 11:34AM]

Did I miss something or are they still competitors? They both offer downloadable TV programs, right?

[black @ Sep 18th 2006 11:45AM]

Looks like google will have to start getting some interesting videos, and decide on a design, beisdes a colored logo and some text.

[Michael @ Sep 18th 2006 12:07PM]

Woah cool, that would also be good if you could download ipod compatible videos from google videos.

ps.: new engadget layout rules ^_^

[ERIC @ Sep 18th 2006 10:55PM]

During WWDC Steve J said that Microsoft can only copy from Apple and Google....this was before the Google CEO was added to the board....something is up..

[Callum @ Sep 18th 2006 12:27PM]

I think (hope) this will have something� to do with the furture of Google Video, not the YouTube-hack that exists today. I agree with Little Joe - there's nothing on there i'd want on my TV.

And this is not what Apple Fanboys and Girls want, i'm not at all excited about Google after some of the shi- stuff they pulled last year:�http://www.boingboing.net/2006/01/24/okay_do_be_evil_goog.html

[Sam Johnson @ Sep 18th 2006 12:39PM]

you already can download the google vids from google on ipod format. yay.

[helio9000 @ Sep 18th 2006 1:28PM]

Little joe said it best! I find Google video pretty brutal. It seems like it would quickly bring down the quality average of Apple's offering. It must be a way to head off the supposed google tv box? (As elusive as the iphone.)

It is strange to me that it seems like it is anyone + google vs microsoft. Why isn't everyone afraid of google? I mean let's say they really brought out google os. If they took 5 million people from windows... MS would barely notice outside the hype factor. If they took 1 million people from apple...they almost most certainly would in real world, dollar terms. Most of the people I know who use google calendar for instance, also use macs. I'm not actually that that is good for apple.

[Tony @ Sep 18th 2006 1:56PM]

Could be kind of difficult, considering the Google's GVI format is really just an incarnation of Microsoft's AVI format. Be a lot of work to convert everything to Apple's MPEG4, unless Apple's planning on supporting more video file formats.

[Jordan @ Sep 18th 2006 1:28PM]

I don't know about you guys, but I am seriously not down with the new engadget layout (although the new comment section is nice, what with the password thing and all)

[z @ Sep 18th 2006 2:22PM]

The buttons are a bit too flashy, the reply option is nice on the comments!

[z @ Sep 18th 2006 2:23PM]

And once opened up, the replies could fold back if desired.

[Dave95 @ Sep 18th 2006 1:51PM]

I believe Google has higher quality option on their Videos (The Videos for purchased though). But yeah why would Jobs even mention Google in his Keynote unless they had already planed a partnership?

[JamesB @ Sep 18th 2006 1:59PM]

Oh yeah? My Xbox already does this... and plays youtube, too.

[Z @ Sep 18th 2006 2:18PM]

Besides the Apple and Googles gals and guys meeting at fuki sushi at middays (great sushi by the way), is this some kind of rumor? ;-)

[bozs13 @ Sep 18th 2006 2:44PM]

Oh, goodness....apple and google....two names I love and adore with soooo much bias

[Leo @ Sep 18th 2006 7:54PM]

Google should have never tried to sell videos in the first place I think. Although google video is an awesome service. I think they should talk to youtube not google though.c

[idude135 @ Sep 18th 2006 2:53PM]

Apple needs to worry more about resolution if this iTv concept is ever going to work. At 640x480 resolution anything that the device can stream will look crappy on anyones' HDTV. Integration with Google Video would do nothing to help its cause, since the media there is even lower in quality.

Apple really missed a great opportunity when they could've included video streaming and recording feature onto the Mac Mini platform. The iTv just seems extraneous equipment from a minimalist company.

[bandgeekndb @ Sep 18th 2006 2:53PM]

Itunes by google...could it get any better? Now, what happens when google tries to buy apple - Gapple? Nah, only in dreams.

[Oyarses @ Sep 18th 2006 3:06PM]

I also don't see the appeal in having Google Video on my television. Aren't the Google Video and iTunes stores sort of in competition with each other?

[atncgnito @ Sep 18th 2006 3:05PM]

I think a Google /Apple partnership is brilliant. When ITV really gets going there will be an enormous amount of content to sift through. Google is a serach giant that will make finding this content easy.

Say i want to watch an episode of the cartoon "Transformers". this is not going to be on Apple's main menu. So I do a Google search.. Voila. A list of all the episodes I can access on ITV. Google will help with older shows and movies... the studios will provide the blockbusters, and Apple distributes all this content through ITV... Brilliant !!!

[Kyle @ Sep 18th 2006 5:47PM]

I've known about this for a while. It's so cool to be 'in the know' hahahaha.

[mac-finance @ Sep 18th 2006 7:36PM]

This would be really cool, but isn't the resolution really low on Google video? It would look like junk when upscaled for a TV or Projector...

[tristanfey @ Sep 18th 2006 7:43PM]

The resolution is only low for free videos. Anything you can purchase has a higher quality resolution.

[blackout @ Sep 18th 2006 8:17PM]

i like the opertunity this brings.
google video + apple = lots of kickass videos for free, or next to free.

[Michael @ Sep 19th 2006 2:00AM]

I haven't ever found anything on Goodgle video I like. I'm not even a big fan of YouTube but it's a lot better. I don't see what Apple has to gain from this as far as content goes. Maybe it will just be for publicity.