AppleInsider reports that during Google’s quarterly earnings call, CEO Eric Schmidt was asked about Google’s relationship with Apple, and responded:
“I, as a former board member, have a special spot for Apple in my heart, but I will tell you Apple is a very well run company. They have a lot of very good stuff coming. We have a couple of very good partnerships with them, and we also compete with them in a couple of areas. My guess is that is a pretty stable situation for awhile.”
And in regards to the rumor Apple is talking with Microsoft about making Bing the default iPhone search engine:
“We are not going to speculate on the marketshare of Apple mobile products. That is for Apple to discuss with you. As far as I can tell, our business structures with Apple are quite stable. I am not going to speculate on any deals of any kind — rumored, true, not true, you name it. We are not going to talk about it.”
So the “stable” card gets played twice. Well vetted in comparison to the sensational claims of Steve Jobs hating Eric Schmidt.
Meanwhile the two mega corporations still seem to be, if not locked on a collision course, then certainly ricochetting off each other with increasing frequency. Analyst Yair Reiner phrases it well:
“Apple seeks to be the “special box in a world of generic services,” while Google aims to become the “special service in a world of generic boxes.”
And the New York Times blog shows it, alongside Microsoft and Yahoo — in handy blue-dotted fashion — in the graphic up top. [via Giz]
Are frenemy partners and managed coopetition “stable”? Are Apple and Google? Let us know your thoughts.
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Google CEO – Relationship with Apple “Stable, Stable”