There was a time when Apple and Google got along and seemed to benefit from each other. Now, there’s always something hitting the news that indicates these two tech giants are moving further and further apart. The near-militant spirit of this divorce has many calling saying that Apple has declared war on Google, and according to a biography about Apple Founder Steve Jobs, that’s exactly the way Apple sees it.
While the wisdom of some of Apple’s aggressive tactics is easy to see, such as in suing over patents or weaning from dependence on Google’s map data, other moves are not so obviously beneficial or perhaps have nothing to do with said war.
Every Legacy Must End
Since the iPhone made its big debut in 2007, it has come with a lot of Google products accessible right from the default home page. The app that most iPhone users to find nearby stores or restaurants or to figure out where they are uses data from Google maps. It’s one of the most popular apps and also one of the few things an iPhone can do that has truly practical use.
As part of its war, however, Apple recently announced that it has decided to stop using Google’s map data and has plans to possess map data of its own. The purpose of this is pretty obvious. Apple doesn’t want to depend on Google for data, and probably hopes to hurt Google’s profits by competing with them.
Nixing the Youtube App
A more baffling move came recently when, in Apple’s latest beta of iOS 6, they decided not to include the Youtube app that has come installed on every iPhone since the first iPhones were released. It’s not clear whether or not this is even part of the war on Google, but amid the skirmishes between the two companies, it’s hard to ignore.
Apple hasn’t explained the motive, if there is one, for this change. They simply stated that the license that allowed for this app’s existence has expired and Youtube will still be accessible from the Safari browser.
What’s the Effect of this?
It’s doubtful that this will affect Google much, if at all. The company already has its own Youtube web app that’s more popular than the one on iOS anyway, and they are working on another. Youtube is popular, and if people want to watch music videos or people playing with their cats, they are going to do it whether there’s a convenient app that comes with their phone or not. Also, this way, Google gets more control over how the app works. It doesn’t seem that this is going to cause problems for either Apple or Google.
As for the users, this probably means little to them. Many people don’t seem to have used the iOS Youtube app in the first place, so Apple removing Youtube from iOS 6 is not bound to elicit many complaints from iPhone fans. At most, it will give some minor annoyance to those who have been too lazy to switch to Google’s web app before this new system forces them to.
This article was written by Thomas Kinkaid, a writer of many topics related to the tech industry. He primarily writes on iPhone jailbreak tips, cool apps that can help you in your business and personal life and iPhone unlock techniques and tricks. He is an avid Apple lover AND Google lover.
Source : techtalkafrica[dot]com
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