The relationship between Apple and Google has always been pretty cozy -- Mac OS X and the iPhone tie into a
variety of Google services, Google's developed
rule-breaking iPhone apps, we've heard endless whispers of Apple
meddling in the development of the G1, and on and on. In fact, the relationship between the two companies is so tight they actually share board members: Google CEO Eric Schmidt and former Genentech CEO Arthur Levinson take meetings in both Cupertino and Mountain View. That's apparently raised some hackles at the Federal Trade Commission, which has reportedly informed both companies they're being investigated for violating a rarely-enforced section of the Clayton Antitrust Act prohibiting "interlocking directorates" when it reduces competition. That sounds like someone at the FTC just noticed that Apple makes the iPhone and Google's responsible for Android, but nothing's set in stone yet -- and we've got a feeling Android's open-source codebase could throw a monkey wrench into an already-complex legal analysis. We'll obviously be tracking this one closely, keep an eye out.
posted May 4th 2009 11:10PM
Jobs needs to be spanked? Is that one of your kinky nerd wet dream dreams?
Chrissy = Win
In three's company, Jack plays a man pretending to be a homosexual. I think this describes the Justice Department rather well.
Just let them be, i love both of these companies dearly and they have both transformed the computer industry.
transforming does not give you a free pass; someone just resign from a board simple as that.
So, any company you love should be above the law? (Not saying either company has done anything wrong.)
what have they done wrong, nothing......i think that someone is lobbying for this at Microsoft because they suck balls
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNnX6XRQBec
Well, you can't say they've done nothing wrong yet. That's what the inquiry is for. What they're going for though, is very rarely enforced.
I'm interested in the results from the investigation.
You made my day anthony909.
Anyone who loves any publicly traded company has issues.
Seriously.
@nerdtalker
If watching a commercial makes your day then you must have a pretty boring life.
@ James
If putting people down makes u feel good u must have some personal issues......or maybe u have a case of hairy palm
It is about time America adopted capitalism rather than corporatism.
@anthony909 @James
'If putting people down makes u feel good u must have some personal issues......or maybe u have a case of hairy palm'
uhhh...and I quote
"anthony909 @ May 4th 2009 9:05PM
@ ELI just shut the fuck up"
Whatever.
-KevinC
Anthony, you just got owned. Serves you right. KevinC is my hero for the night.
DOJ couldn't convict Microsoft of wrong doing .... I don't
think investigating Google/Apple ... will turn up anything :)
Unless Microsoft ... plants its ... an then pays others to
find it .... :) :) ... time will tell ....
Uh, Microsoft did get convicted, but the Bush Administration overturned the verdict later. Thanks, Bush. Yet another thing you screwed up.
Microsoft was convicted, but your point still stands -- if nothing was ultimately done about Microsoft anyway, the Apple/Google investigation is utterly pointless... it'll go nowhere.
Google markets a phone OS, not actual phones. I'd expect Google and Apple could merge without difficulty because they don't have overlapping markets. Google's real market is online advertising, which was just blocked over at Yahoo. They have even LESS in common with Apple.
I'd suspect that similar investors that stopped the Google/Yahoo deal are going against the Apple/Google partnership. The economy is busted, it's easy money to bust the chops of the companies sitting on a pile of cash... especially for those that are "stockholders" because they WON'T be stockholders after the shakedown. I'd say Microsoft has less to do with this because there's no basis Microsoft could claim. In fact THEY were trying to partner with Yahoo to tie their OS and online services together... then again, maybe that is the reason.
The beauty of "regulating" companies that big is that they learn how to do the same thing "legally" then it's not only OK to go back to the old ways, but "it should be illegal" when the other companies aren't regulated too. Witness car makers, airlines and banks for how it's done.
FIRST COMMENT!!!!!
jk I know I know
epic failure lmfao
ಠ_ಠ
Can I laugh?
Aaahaha, hahahaaaaa.... hahaha!
Thanks!
Exactly what I was thinking! :P
But yeah, this is a fair investigation. Their relationship has been suss for a while now...
wait what?
exactly what i thought...iphone doesn't even have push gmail and osx still doesn't have a legit build of chrome, you'd think that maybe apple would be able to swing newer and better features first if they were in cahoots
I know, right?
Maybe google is reserving push Gmail for Android.
Oh well, I just forward my gmail to yahoo anyway, which is push enabled
Googles got a nice body
Funny I was just thinking how google was busy making apps run perfectly on iPhone and I'm over hear waiting for a damn cupcake update since last year! Waiting for that overrated update made me root my G1. Which I don't regret at all, all apps saved to SD card and running smoothly.
BTW the Android is not open, it's half way open. I'm kind of disappointed in google's beta phone the G1.
If it's any consolation, just remember how "diligently" they're working on the OS X version of Chrome. (hint: they're not working on it)
The guys at Apple actually make all the Google apps. They just consult with Google when they need to tap into the backend stuff. I read a good article about it, but I'm sure I won't be able to find it on such short notice. The programmers at Apple also write all the drivers for the video cards that go into Macs, which is why Apple is very selective about what cards they support.
I should have specified that the programmers at Apple write all the Google software that come with the iPhone, like Google Maps and such.
... couldn't have been very early last year, the damn thing came out a little over 6 months ago. Considering how massive an update this is I'd say a 6 month cycle is pretty good. Also, Android is 100% open, the specific build of it made by T-Mobile is not. If I really wanted to I could make some alterations to ubuntu to make that pretty closed too; it wouldn't make ubuntu any less open.
The FTC has its arm around Google D:
Google always got me to watch that show. I get disappointed if I watch a rerun on TV Land that doesn't have Google.
intriguing
wait, so windows gets sued for bundling IE and media player but OS X can bundle itunes, safari, and quicktime AND offer the top selling cell phone that shares apps with google? Man, how times have changed...
Oh for goodness' sake! How many bloody times does this need to be said? MS were NOT sued for "bundling" - they were sued because they a) made IE an *unremovable* and *essential* component of the OS when it did not need to be, and b) engaging in anti-competitive practices with their OEM charges.
In the case of a) they were specifically sued firstly because MS supposedly altered its APIs to favour IE over competing browsers, and secondly because of the perceived intent of these actions (i.e. to reduce the effectiveness of competition).
IF Apple made QuickTime or Safari or something else (that has competitors) an unremovable and essential component of the OS, and altered their APIs to favour their own components over those of competitors, and their intention was to be anti-competitive, then they also would be in trouble. Well, not really, because the DoJ got burned in the end, and ended up having to accept a very weak settlement (as opposed to their original desire of breaking up MS and making forcible changes to Windows code!)
Do some damn research before posting your tired old misconceptions PLEASE.
I can hear the announcer now:
"OVERKILL"
Wow I actually was just studying for an AP test for US History and read about the Clayton Antitrust Act's creation. How surreal.
Big government coming in to save the day again. Its starting to resemble Atlas Shrugged more and more every day.
Its great to see FTC taking proactive steps to stop problems before they get out of hands....Google will be 'n' times worst (as in evil) than MSFT if left alone...Apple is Apple, it doesn't have to be evil, the dumb fan boys pay their Apple Tax, like clock works.
I'd love to see you show how Google or Apple is being anticompetitive. For example, exactly what "problems" are you referring to? Is Apple preventing other companies from making apps for the iPhone? Or do you just have your head up your ass? I vote for the latter.
APPLE=FAIL
YOUR AVATAR=EPIC FAIL
i could see apple possible getting into some trouble, but they'll get out of it with their speed dial lawyers
But Google will just say android is open source and anyone can use it so were not hurting anything. and then the FTC won't have shit to say.
Honestly, coming from an apple hater and an android fanboy i don't see this going very far and doing much of anything.
And if it does i can only see it hurting apple since google makes android so they can do whatever they want for it. Worst think that could happen would probably be certain google services removed from the iphone. and thats a huge stretch.
I always found it a bit strange that every time Google shows up some new mobile app/website, they do it on an iPhone. It's kind of like if Microsoft ran an ad for Live search where they were using it on OS-X. I mean, why would they be advertising a competitor's product?
It's even better that the Pre's sdk is running on OSX.
I don't know how the DOJ will see this, but I always have found the relationship a bit odd -- if not necessarily illegal. I just have no clue how strong a relationship has to be to cause concern -- for example I imagine many manufacturers and suppliers are very tightly intertwined, to the extent that their businesses rely on each other.