> [Apple is] better than this. They don't need to sully themselves with this cage-fighting behavior. I think the source is Steve Jobs’ pride, not rational busi

> [Apple is] better than this. They don't need to sully themselves with this cage-fighting behavior. I think the source is Steve Jobs’ pride, not rational business decisions. Jobs saw iPhone as something completely new, a smartphone that everyone could use – and the combination was something he felt he had invented. In the keynote where he announced iPhone, he went out of his way to point out that Apple has the multi-touch patents and that they filed for many more covering the gestures. By that time, Google had already purchased Android Inc, but it had no actual product. Eric Schmidt was on Apple’s board so he knew about both projects. When Google did show an Android phone, it looked nothing like iPhone, with a hardware keyboard, no multi-touch, and an OS akin to Blackberry and Symbian. Apple obviously had no problem with that iteration, as Eric Schmidt remained on Apple’s board and Apple didn’t sue anyone. It wasn’t until Google changed Android in such a way that it was meant to be used with multi-touch when shit hit the fan. Eric Schmidt was suddenly a traitor, a spy, and Google became the enemy. That’s when Schnmidt was ousted from the board and the lawsuits targeting Android started. If Google had waited a year or two to make Android more iPhone-like, I believe Steve Jobs’ reaction would’ve been way less severe. And given that Nokia, Blackberry, and Microsoft (the mobile OS market leaders at the time) were asleep at the wheel, Google could’ve easily have competed in the market without stepping on Apple’s toes. Alternatively, Eric Schmidt could’ve left Apple’s board as soon as he knew Apple and Google were going to compete by both making a mobile OS. He must’ve known by 2006. He also knew what Jobs was like and could’ve seen this coming.