The Apple Core
Jason D. O'Grady & David MorgensternGoogle fires back at Apple with Nexus One update
Summary
Google released a multi-touch update for the Nexus One, less than 24 hours after Steve Jobs called the company’s “Don’t Be Evil” mantra “B.S.” Now settle down or I’m going to have to separate you too.
Topics
Blogger Info
Jason D. O'Grady
Biography
Jason D. O'Grady
Jason D. O'Grady developed an affinity for Apple computers after using the original Lisa, and this affinity turned into a bona-fide obsession when he got the original 128 KB Macintosh in 1984.
He started writing one of the first Web sites about Apple (O'Grady's PowerPage) in 1995 and is considered to be one of the fathers of blogging. He has been a frequent speaker at the Macworld Expo conference and a member of the conference faculty. He also co-founded the first dedicated PowerBook User Group (PPUG) in the United States.
After winning a major legal battle with Apple in 2006, he set the precedent that independent journalists are entitled to the same protections under the First Amendment as members of the mainstream media.
O'Grady is the author of The Nexus One Pocket Guide, The Droid Pocket Guide, The Google Phone Pocket Guide, and The Garmin nuvi Pocket Guide (Peachpit Press), the author of Corporations That Changed the World: Apple Inc. (Greenwood Press), and a contributor to The Mac Bible (Peachpit Press). In addition, he has contributed to numerous Mac publications over the years, including MacWEEK, Macworld, and MacPower (Japan).
When he's not writing about Apple for ZDNet at The Apple Core, he enjoys spending time with his family in New Jersey.
David Morgenstern
Biography
David Morgenstern
David Morgenstern has covered the Mac market and other technology segments for 20 years. In the recent past, he founded Ziff-Davis' Storage Supersite, served as news editor for Ziff Davis Internet and held several executive editorial positions at eWEEK. In the 1990s, David was editor of Ziff Davis' award-winning MacWEEK news publication as well as its successor title, eMediaWEEKly, which focused on multiplatform professional content creation. His byline can be found online and in print publications including CreativePro.com, Peachpit Press' Mac Bible and Popular Photography.
Not 24 hours after Steve Jobs told his minions that Google’s Don’t Be Evil mantra was “B.S.” (or “crap” depending on who you listen to) Google answers by pushing out an Android update to Nexus One users that includes multi-touch (and other Android goodness).
Google, up until yesterday, left multi-touch off its U.S. Android phones, presumably in deference to Apple’s multi-touch patent.
It was also rumored that Apple asked Google not to release multitouch in the U.S. to avoid the IP aggression we’ve seen it take against Palm for including multi-touch in the Pre.
I’m not saying that Google released the Nexus One multi-touch update because of Jobs’ comments, but it may have been pushed out a little sooner because of them.
More evidence of how the relationship between Apple and Google has chilled lately.
The N1 update takes the Android/iPhone battle to a new level and frankly, the ball’s in Apple’s court. Jobs promised that the next iPhone would be A+ and that Android won’t be able to keep up with it.
Them’s fighting words, Steve!
If Apple doesn’t address a majority of the items on my iPhone wishlist (background apps, voice search, improved home/lock screens, widgets, etc.) with its “A+” release we’ll know that Jobs was just trash-talking and that Android has clearly taken the lead in the smartphone wars.
Note: Impatient Nexus One owners can force the firmware update by following this technique. It preserves your data and apps and doesn’t require root access.
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Jason D. O'Grady is a journalist and author specializing in mobile technology. He has published six books on Apple and mobile gadgets and his PowerPage blog has been publishing for over 15 years.
Disclosure
Jason D. O'Grady
Jason O'Grady is the creator and editor of O'Grady's PowerPage, which has been publishing mobile technology news since 1995. He maintains an advertising relationship with the following legacy advertisers on the PowerPage:
- Amazon Associates
- Google Adsense
- Tekserve
- Weaknees
Advertising on the PowerPage is brokered by a third-party agency (BackBeat Media) and he recuses himself from these negotiations. Jason also provides consulting services for AirTight Networks.
Biography
Jason D. O'Grady
Jason D. O'Grady developed an affinity for Apple computers after using the original Lisa, and this affinity turned into a bona-fide obsession when he got the original 128 KB Macintosh in 1984.
He started writing one of the first Web sites about Apple (O'Grady's PowerPage) in 1995 and is considered to be one of the fathers of blogging. He has been a frequent speaker at the Macworld Expo conference and a member of the conference faculty. He also co-founded the first dedicated PowerBook User Group (PPUG) in the United States.
After winning a major legal battle with Apple in 2006, he set the precedent that independent journalists are entitled to the same protections under the First Amendment as members of the mainstream media.
O'Grady is the author of The Nexus One Pocket Guide, The Droid Pocket Guide, The Google Phone Pocket Guide, and The Garmin nuvi Pocket Guide (Peachpit Press), the author of Corporations That Changed the World: Apple Inc. (Greenwood Press), and a contributor to The Mac Bible (Peachpit Press). In addition, he has contributed to numerous Mac publications over the years, including MacWEEK, Macworld, and MacPower (Japan).
When he's not writing about Apple for ZDNet at The Apple Core, he enjoys spending time with his family in New Jersey.
More from “The Apple Core”
Related Discussions on TechRepublic
Did you know you can take part in these discussions with your ZDNet membership?Talkback Most Recent of 13 Talkback(s)
-
D.T.Schmitz02/03/2010 10:59 AM -
I was wondering who was going to be the first to loose against that patent
And set legal precedence in favor of Apple...
It's gonna be interesting to watch...
i8thecat02/04/2010 08:42 AM -
RE: Google fires back at Apple with Nexus One update
"If Apple doesn?t address a majority of the items on my
iPhone wishlist (background apps, voice search, improved
home/lock screens, widgets, etc.) with its ?A+? release
we?ll know that Jobs was just trash-talking and that
Android has clearly taken the lead in the smartphone
wars."
Well I wouldn't worry about that, Jason. I feel almost
*certain* that Steve Jobs has "Jason O'Grady's Wishlist"
pinned to his desk so he can focus on it each and every
single day.
mattjumbo02/03/2010 12:36 PM -
Google is evil (or not) goes beyond iPhone
First they came for and stole music online, and I did
not speak out?because I was not a musician;
Then they came for and stole movies online, and I did
not speak out?because I was not an actor;
Then they came for and stole books online, and I did
not speak out?because I was not a writer;
Then they came for and stole my intellectual
property, and I finally spoke out.
Remix by Steve Baba, Ph.D., www.Shrewd.com
Steve Baba02/03/2010 12:38 PM -
RE: Google fires back at Apple with Nexus One update
UK (or overseas) Nexus One users can manually update their mobiles: http://whatnewmobile.com/android/nexus-one-gets-multitouch-how-to-update-if-youre-in-the-uk/
midnightz02/03/2010 12:46 PM -
Those leaders at Google
"... we?ll know that Jobs was just trash-talking and that
Android has clearly taken the lead in the smartphone
wars."
Wow - will we really? Can't say I enjoy reading a columnist that so
blatantly tries to persuade me that the sky is not blue. This pretty
much falls into the class of global warming deniers, but in the tech
space.
When Google has created a new product category, when it does not
just copy multi-touch and other technologies, when it out-sells the
iPhone and when they have a larger app selection - then maybe they
will have clearly taken the lead in the smartphone wars. Maybe they
can start small - and just learn to design a UI?
michael@...02/03/2010 12:59 PM -
More devices on more carriers made by more manufacturers
The sales is only a matter of time.
Who knows how many new Android phones will be released just in this year too add to what is already out there. Every manufacturer wants a piece of that pie, and they aren't going to settle for letting Apple eat their lunch.
Android is a market enabler. It is a win win that Apple has never and would never, extend to other companies.
T1Oracle02/03/2010 02:02 PM -
...
Google sooner or later will face AT like Microsoft, IBM, AT&T....Standard
Oil did unless they bribe the politicians.
--Ram--
Rama.NET02/03/2010 02:17 PM -
Stupid patents are evil
So is price gouging customers and crippling devices with remote updates.
Apple needs to take a good hard look in the mirror.T1Oracle02/03/2010 01:58 PM -
"Android has clearly taken the lead in the smartphone wars."
Actually, we'll know that when (I'd posit if) any
Android device comes anywhere near quarterly iPhone
sales figures. Personally I'd make it gross margin rather
than unit sales, but that's never going to happen.
It's important to note this skirmish isn't an iPhone/Android
fight, this is an Apple/Goggle war. As I understand it this
update only applies to the 2.1 software on the Nexus One,
so we're talking about a subset of a subset of the Android
world.
Who do you think Motorola is rooting for in this? I
remember Jha sitting on the stage at the Nexus One
launch looking like the ex-boyfriend of the Bride at a
wedding. Personally I think he's hoping that Apple
bankrupts itself in the process of destroying Google.
matthew_maurice02/03/2010 03:49 PM -
Actually some of the developers have back ported...
Google's MultiTouch Map app to older versions of Android , I have it running on my G1.
mrlinux(Edited: 02/04/2010 05:24 AM) -
RE: Google fires back at Apple with Nexus One update
Headline: "Google fires back at Apple with Nexus One
update"
Body: "I?m not saying that Google released the Nexus One
multi-touch update because of Jobs? comments, but it may
have been pushed out a little sooner because of them."
Which is it? You clearly _are_ saying Google took those
actions because of the rumors about Jobs' comments in
your headline.
Have you ever worked on a large-scale software project
before? Do you _actually_ think this is what happened, or
is this a naked linkbait post? Is there absolutely any
reason to believe your hypothesis, other than the fact that
these two events happened close to one another in time?
Post hoc ergo propter hoc is a logical fallacy so old, we
still call it by its Roman times name.
The thing is, I don't think you actually think this happened.
I don't think your guilty of a logical fallacy, I think you're
guilty of disregarding quality in favor of a creating a pat
narrative. I hate this kind of crap: its like our various
forms of journalism are chasing each other down the drain,
and the only thing that keeps tech journalism from being
the worst is that at the end of the day, its not that
important.
PleaseStopDoingThis02/04/2010 08:25 AM -
Android=Porn ?
Apple will win, Why? The fact that Steve will show the world that
Google is indeed evil.
Googles Android cell phones are wide open, you can get pretty much
Anything you want on your Android phone that includes porn Apps. In
2010 all Android based cell phone will be open to Porn Apps. On the
other hand Apple has removed all sexually suggestive Material from it
App Store.
So if you're a porn loving teenager than you are on Goggles side, If
you not into porn then you're a Apple Supporter.
Can it be that simple?
MacNewton(Edited: 03/27/2010 11:49 AM)
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