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Did Google Just Multi-Punch Apple in the Face?

20 comments  |  by: TechCrunch February 03, 2010  | about: AAPL / GOOG
   
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By MG Siegler

As great as Android phones are getting, there has been one major feature lacking that users have complained about: multi-touch. Yes, some third-party apps have been free to use it on certain devices, but the best Android apps, those made by Google (GOOG), have all lacked it.

Until now.

With the Android update announced for Nexus One phones Tuesday, Google has enabled multi-touch for its Browser, Gallery, and Maps applications. Specifically, they’ve enabled the popular pinch-to-zoom functionality that iPhone users are fond of.

So why did Google wait all this time to implement this obvious feature when its devices have been capable of it since the G1? Well, a report last year (written by me for another publication), cited a source within Google who noted that Apple (AAPL) and Google had a gentleman’s agreement that Android wouldn’t encroach on what Apple believed to be its property, certain multi-touch gestures, like pinch-to-zoom. With Apple and Google now fighting, all bets are apparently off.

Android chief Andy Rubin has said that there was no conspiracy about multi-touch, and suggested the Google apps haven’t implemented it simply because he didn’t like the functionality too much. But given that just about every Android user disagrees with him, that statement seems suspicious, at best. And why the change of heart now? And why does it happen to coincide with a time that Apple and Google are clearly at odds with one another?

While the two used to be just about as close as two companies can be, sharing two board members, one of whom was Google CEO Eric Schmidt, things have turned sour as the two are increasingly competing in various fields. This led to Schmidt resigning from Apple’s board last year, and since then things have gotten more sour. While the whole Google Voice not being allowed onto the iPhone situation was one thing, Steve Jobs reportedly made recent remarks that Google’s Android team was out to destroy the iPhone (as well as other disparaging remarks about Google).

And the battle continues on — those new Chrome OS tablet mock-ups are clearly envisioning multi-touch usage, just like Apple’s new iPad.

Apple and Google also apparently used to have a gentleman’s agreement not to poach each others workers, we reported in August. But again, with the situation between the two deteriorating, that is apparently off now as well.

And Google may have another reason to be okay with implementing multi-touch now: the Palm Pre. Since its launch last year, webOS (the OS that runs on the Pre and other new Palm devices) has allowed for native multi-touch, including pinch-to-zoom. While Apple has made some thinly veiled threatening comments about protecting their IP, they have so far not sought any legal action against Palm (PALM) for this. Microsoft’s (MSFT) new Zune device uses similar multi-touch functionality too. Maybe Google now believes that Apple is not going pursue legal action against the use of this, despite their many multi-touch patents.

[image: warner brothers pictures]

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Comments on this article
  •  
    Eric Schmidt is a schist er and can not be trusted.
    It will take more than multi touch to catch up with AAPL.

    The Nexus One launch was a JOKE!!!

    Any preliminary Nexus One sales figures from Google????

    BECAUSE!!!! YOU DAM WELL KNOW!!!!!! If the launch was a success it would be ALL OVER THESE BLOGS!!!!

    Nexus One ---- GOES GANG BUSTERS!!!
    Nexus One ---- SALES HAVE SKYROCKETED!!!
    Nexus One ---- REVOLUTION iPHONE KILLER!!!

    GMAFB!!!

    WHAT A GOOGLE JOKE!!!

    Are you people really going to ENTRUST your data with Google?
    They are an ONLINE AD COMPANY FOR CHRIST SAKE!!!

    Google =Nexus One Web SCAM!!
    Feb 03 09:34 AM Reply
  •  
    The statement of "Android phones don't have multitouch function until now" is not true. The Motorola Milestone (Europe version of Droid) has multitouch enabled.
    Feb 03 10:14 AM Reply
  •  
    It is good for Apple that everyone else is way behind, playing catch-up: MSFT with the Zune; Google with it's weak phone efforts.

    The iPad raises the bar a LOT; word is, it's lightning fast, not pokey, like Droid devices.
    Feb 03 10:22 AM Reply
  •  
    Go get 'm Apple! Its amazing how Apple continues to innovate and everyone else just wants to copy. What ever happened to innovation, creativity, and originality at other companies?
    Feb 03 10:29 AM Reply
  •  
    This is why the iPad will be HUGE!!!!!

    www.pocket-lint.com/ne...

    Naysayers ALL OVER THE WORLD!!! Have NO IDEA as to how the iPad will impact computing as we know it today.

    For the record people...... Apple is the company that made this a REALITY!!!

    in closing... people have NEVER EVEN USED an iPad and they are BASHING IT>>>>>... If this device was made by ANY OTHER CMPANY THAN APPLE the naysayers would be touting it as the next coming of Jesus!!!

    again i say... GMAFB!!!!! Take a good look @ what tablet offerings were @ CES 2010...... Again I say WHAT A JOKE!!!! When is HP going to production with their tablet? How Much? WELL?
    Feb 03 10:39 AM Reply
  •  
    More like AAPL just multi-punched every other tech company in the universe by announcing yet another product that will be far superior to its competitors
    Feb 03 11:38 AM Reply
  •  
    go here mr dee

    www.techflash.com/seat...
    Feb 03 01:57 PM Reply
  •  
    or maybe go here

    www.taipanpublishinggr...

    to learn about a real world experience from a windows user. Boy that guys computers must b a dream to work on... and OH SO PRODUCTIVE!!!

    One more time...GMAFB.

    AAPL Long... $250.00 by mid 2010 from there only UP.
    Feb 03 02:40 PM Reply
  •  
    I Jah420 relax , take a deep breath . Get your heart check because you are about to have a big one, ha ha ha
    Feb 04 10:06 AM Reply
  •  
    Wow. Looks like I missed all the action. Let me just add that as someone with both a Nexus One and an iPhone, if you set the two down next to each other and perform equivalent tasks on each, you will truly understand how different they are.
    Feb 04 10:25 AM Reply
  •  
    I think that iJah420 is just mocking SeekingAlpha for their transparent pro-Google anti-Apple predjudice, and that he's not REALLY the Apple Fanboy that his online persona claims to be.
    Feb 04 11:21 AM Reply
  •  
    If video as a % of internet traffic increases as much as projected, carrier bandwidth issues will be a huge concern. If Google is able to close on it's acquisition of ON2, Google will have a huge advantage here. ON2's VP8 codec (which they have been relatively quite about) can offer as much as 40-50% lower bandwidth usage than H.264. ON2's Hantro encoding and decoding chips can offer up to 10X more efficient encoding/decoding which means much longer battery life for heavy video consumers.

    More info and links here at "Could a codec be "the golden egg" that impacts bandwidth, storage, and end devices?"
    c1c.me/on2

    I'm very surprised someone like Apple, Cisco, or Oracle has not made a counter offer for ON2. Especially Cisco, who has put video and telepresence on the forefront.

    Network congestion with 3G is already an issue. With video on tablet sized devices coming out this year, the congestion issue is just going to be sick. Google could walk away the clear winner with their investment in codec IP (ON2) that gives them a huge advantage. And imagine if Googles tablet's battery life was 2X or 3X iPads for video consumers? Google could potentially do this combining VP8 with Hantro chips in their tablet.
    Feb 04 12:07 PM Reply
  •  
    I read the article at the link you provided and am skeptical it will amount to much. The keywords I read as red flags in any tech summary are "up to" x times better. This generally means a comparison to the absolute dregs not to the best around.

    The power consumption specs for the codec chip are very impressive, but again, I'm not sure they are that different from the best available elsewhere.

    I'm not knocking them, I just doubt they are the world beaters you imply.

    An added difficulty is that you are talking about standards. These are extremely difficult to change.
    Feb 05 10:42 PM Reply
  •  
    Wow, Google enables something the iPhone had 3 years ago. Innovation, indeed.
    Feb 04 12:20 PM Reply
  •  
    iJah420
    Do you have a translator module?
    Feb 04 12:22 PM Reply
  •  
    As to the author, you clearly know nothing about boxing or business strategy.
    SA is fast becoming Seeking FAILURE.
    Feb 04 12:23 PM Reply
  •  
    TechCrunch: please, if you want to turn a feature announcement into investment advice, try coming up with valuation metrics that matter to investors.

    For example: are you saying that pinch-to-zoom amounts to 5% of the value of an iPhone OS, so now that other competitors are using it, they'll take that margin from Apple? Or maybe 1%? Or maybe .001%? How much are you contending Apple's patents are worth (and how extensive are they, anyway?)

    Technology is never about a single killer feature (as Apple has proven, for better and for worse, throughout it's history). Either you're trying to translate features into valuation by some rubric, or you're speaking some language other than investment.
    Feb 04 01:42 PM Reply
  •  
    The truth behind multi touch IP is interesting. Multi touch and complex gestures have been around in the touch panel industry for many years. Apple, quite late in the day, discovered multi touch and capacitive touch screens, and decided to use them on a phone as a differentiator, which was a good call. However, there were really no patents of note to be had - it had all been done before. So, as a defensive move, Apple just went mad patenting any whacky idea related to touch that they had. Between these patents, their cash and bad legal attitude they figured a bunch of crap patents would be enough to defend any patent infringements AGAINST them (ie force another party into a cross-licensing deal). However, I doubt very much they will try and enforce their patents against another party because (a) they will lose, and (b) they will be inviting other parties to sue them once their patent position is officially labelled "weak" by the courts. But who knows - when stock prices and CEO's get involved, logic might go right out the window....
    Feb 04 05:32 PM Reply
  •  
    Hey Wintard apologists--how about some specifics on pinch and zoom pre-Apple??? <Crickets>

    Maybe someone did it in a lab, no one had a homerun product with it, that much is fact. Grow up. I know it's embarrasing for you how Apple is kicking a$$ lately, but get over yourselves, it's obvious you are quite full of it.
    Feb 04 07:01 PM Reply
  •  

    "While Apple has made some thinly veiled threatening comments about protecting their IP, they have so far not sought any legal action against Palm"

    Ah. So that explains the timing of the HTC lawsuit. Multi-touch wasn't enabled until February.
    Mar 04 11:09 PM Reply