There is a really interesting read in the Times on Apple vs. Google. Of course, as I’ve touted my horn a number of times, I called this a few years ago - GOOG’s real target was Apple, not MSFT. This all leads me to think - hey, has Microsoft really left the building on mobile? I know there was the new Windows Mobile, but I don’t hear anyone talking about it…
MicroWho? Microsoft needs to buy RIM.
I can’t really think of any other way, unless they don’t want to own the OS. MSFT could become a premium app provider. I’ve just downloaded the Bing search app for the iPhone. And it’s pretty awesome. Image search is really slick. The navigation has a good UI, yielded good results to my hard-to-find friend’s house out in the burbs and I like the way the map unfuzzes into focus. I’d recommend it. So, I’m pretty confident that MSFT could become a really sweet application provider - but I’m also pretty sure the battle that the folks in Redmond want to win is for the OS, not just for cool apps. Anyway, a MSFT RIM deal is one I’d love to see.
Finally, I’ll leave you with some choice quotes from the Times article:
Mr. Schmidt hasn’t shied away from taking public swipes at Apple, either. In January… when asked what he thought of Apple’s new iPad, due to go on sale early next month, he joked to reporters: “You might want to tell me the difference between a large phone and a tablet.”
…
In filing the lawsuit over Android phones, he (Jobs) positioned his company as an aggrieved victim finally standing up to the playground bully. “We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it,” he said in a statement when the suit was filed. “We’ve decided to do something about it.”
…
When Mr. Jobs announced Mr. Schmidt’s departure from the board, he noted that with Android and plans for a computer operating system, Google was “unfortunately” entering more of Apple’s “core business.”
For lovers of the technology business world and for people addicted to their smart phones this is AWESOME. I can’t wait to see what these companies produce/invent next.
