Could go either way. Apple would have to move away from their high margins on hardware or license their operating systems and services to become the Microsoft o

Could go either way. Apple would have to move away from their high margins on hardware or license their operating systems and services to become the Microsoft of the Future. They just can't compete on pure volume. Google has made the choice to put their operating system(s) and services onto as many devices as possible to reap the benefits of a massive user base. On the surface that's more compatible with Gate's vision of a Windows PC on every desktop. I always look at it like this: If the iPhone disappeared tomorrow what would happen? We'd all get Android phones, BlackBerries, maybe WM7 phones. The mobile app market would be hurt but it wouldn't collapse because there are alternatives. iTunes? We'd just use NetFlix or Amazon MP3, Zune. If Google Search/Advertising disappeared tomorrow what would happen? Panic. Chaos. The whole Internet economy would collapse. Based on that I feel like Google clearly has its boot on people's necks in a way Apple doesn't. That makes the parallel between Google/Microsoft stronger for me.