Google’s Eric Schmidt is in Korea this week meeting with senior government and business officials, including South Korean President Lee Myung-bak. During a press conference this morning he was asked, among other things, on his thoughts of Steve Jobs’ claims that Android is a “stolen product”.
While first calling Jobs a “fantastic human being” and saying he is “very sad and recovering from the sense of loss” since his death, he had this to say:
I decided not to comment on comments that are written in the book after his death. I don’t think it’s right…Most people would agree that Google is a great innovator, and I would also point out that the Android efforts started before the iPhone efforts. And that’s all I have to say.
In the authorized Steve Jobs bio penned by author Walter Isaacson, Jobs had harsh words for Android:
Our lawsuit is saying, “Google, you fucking ripped off the iPhone, wholesale ripped us off.” Grand theft. I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple’s $40 billion in the bank, to right this wrong. I’m going to destroy Android, because it’s a stolen product. I’m willing to go to thermonuclear war on this. They are scared to death, because they know they are guilty. Outside of Search, Google’s products—Android, Google Docs—are shit.
The timeline of the two products, Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android, is a little unclear. While Google purchased Andy Rubin’s Android in 2005, and the iPhone was reveal in January 2007, it’s unclear when Apple started working on the iPhone. Most estimate put it’s development well before 2005.
9to5Mac reports that Android underwent significantly change around the time the iPhone was released. The OS morphed from a Blackberry-ish type device to a touch centric device. And in the years since, Android’s evolution has, according to some commentators, continued in the direction of an iPhone-likeness.
Want to see more of our stories on Google?
P.S. Want to keep this site truly independent? Support us by buying us a beer, treating us to a coffee, or shopping through Amazon here. Links in this post are affiliate links, so we earn a tiny commission at no charge to you. Thanks for supporting independent Canadian media!
Eric Schmidt is full of it shit!
that’s right…full of it and full of shit
YOU GUYS ARE FULL OF SHIT!!! Without android, do you really think iOS will be what it is?
Think logically before you make stupid comments. He could be full of shit but any good comptition to iOS is a good thing for you and i.
You are right, sir. Android is what’s pushing iOS to be what it is.
I thought it was Symbian that made iOS and Android what they are..
Something has to look bad for other things to look good.
jailbreak apps are the #1 thing that has changed ios.
He’s full of Gingerbread, Ice Cream Sandwiches, Honeycomb…and…and…
In my opinion it doesn’t matter who started development first. You can start something first, but still implement someone elses ideas into your product afterwards.
I totally agree.
I am not against android but Eric is full of shit.
Keep your excuses, Eric–Epic Fail is still a fail!
QQ Jobs. Welcome to how the tech world works.
Android is an OS, and the iPhone is a, well, phone.
Apple’s been working on iOS touch interfaces long before the iPhone was a thought. In fact, they started working on the iPad before the iPhone (according to reports i’ve read).
It’s very misleading to compare Google’s OS to Apple’s phone. Just misinformation to get people to think Google’s not just copying OSX’s touch interface.