Once Partners, Now Rivals, Apple and Google Struggle To Get Along

There is a war going on, and it’s not being fought on a battlefield. Instead, the raging skirmish is over web standards versus the usability and functionality of proprietary technologies such as Flash, and now Google has stepped into the cross-hairs.

At one point Apple CEO Steve Jobs invited Google’s Schmidt to join him on stage during the iPhone’s unveiling in January 2007. Google helped with Apple’s launch of the iPhone by providing services and applications including maps, search and YouTube videos (a native iPhone application).

Things have changed. Steve Jobs talked about it on March 2nd, stating “We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours.” Previously in January, Google’s Schmidt took at shot at Apple’s iPad, stating that “You might want to tell me the difference between a large phone and a tablet.” The battle rages on, and likely won’t end any time soon, according to industry experts.