Google: jabs at Apple 'in a spirit of good fun' in fight for developers (video)
In case you missed it, you really should go back and check out Google's Vic Gundotra roasting of Apple during the Google I/O day 2 keynote last week. Hearing a VP from a major company in the consumer electronics industry so ruthlessly lampoon Apple was refreshing to say the least. TechCrunch sat down with the man post I/O and asked Vic about Google's relationship with Apple, particularly after the flurry of jabs Google made in the direction of Cupertino. Vic responded as follows:
"It wasn't necessarily jabs at Apple, we have a deep respect for the innovation they brought. And places where Android has gone further we're very excited to show those off, we're very proud of Android. And I think in the end consumers really benefit from healthy intense competition that leads all companies to elevate their game. And it was done in a spirit of good fun."
When pressed on the jabs and particularly calling Apple "closed" and Google "open," Vic responded:
"We do like to draw sharp distinctions between our various approaches. But let's be clear we're two competitors competing for the hearts and minds of developers and we're trying to have some fun while doing that."
We'll see how much fun Google thinks this is when Steve Jobs unleashes his RDF onto the world on June 7th. Until then, watch the TC interview after the break -- the good stuff kicks in at about 5:35. Oh, and we've also tossed in Vic's notorious "draconian future" dig for reference.
