Steve Jobs vowed to destroy Android

[scottish]

Steve Jobs said he wanted to destroy Android and would spend all of Apple's money and his dying breath if that is what it took to do so.

The full extent of his animosity towards Google's mobile operating system is revealed in a forthcoming authorised biography.

Mr Jobs told author Walter Isaacson that he viewed Android's similarity to iOS as "grand theft".

Apple is suing several smartphone makers which use the Android software.

According to extracts of Mr Isaacson's book, obtained by the Associated Press, Mr Jobs said: "I'm going to destroy Android, because it's a stolen product. I'm willing to go thermonuclear war on this."

He is also quoted as saying: "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."

Sour times

Apple enjoyed a close relationship with Google prior to the launch of the Android system. Google products, including maps and search formed a key part of the iPhone's ecosystem.

At that time, Google's chief executive, now chairman, Eric Schmidt also sat on the board of Apple.

However, relations began to sour when Google unveiled Android in November 2007, 10 months after the iPhone first appeared.

In subsequent years Apple rejected a number of Google programs from its App store, forcing the company to create less-integrated web app versions.

Android has subsequently enjoyed rapid adoption and now accounts for around 48% of global smartphone shipments, compared to 19% for Apple.

But its growth has not gone uncontested. Apple has waged an aggressive proxy-war against Android, suing a number of the hardware manufacturers which have adopted it for their tablets and smartphones.

Motorola was one of the first to be targeted, although it is Samsung that has borne the brunt of Mr Jobs' ire.

The South Korean firm is currently banned from selling its Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia and Germany because of a combination of patent infringements and "look and feel" similarities. A smartphone ban is also pending in the Netherlands.

Samsung is counter-suing Apple for infringing, it claims, several wireless technology patents which it holds the rights to.

Defence mechanism

Patents blogger Florian Mueller, who has been following the court cases closely, said Apple would be conscious of its past, where other companies exploited some of its early ideas.

"If Apple doesn't want the iPhone and iPad to be marginalized the way it happened to the Macintosh at the hands of the Wintel duopoly, it has to use the full force of its intellectual property to fend off the commoditization threat that Android represents," he told BBC News.

Mr Mueller was also critical of Eric Schmidt's dual role at the time: "The fact that Eric Schmidt stayed on Apple's board while he was preparing an iOS clone was an inexcusable betrayal of Steve Jobs' trust."

Mr Schmidt resigned from the Apple board in August 2009. He was later quoted by Bloomberg as saying: "I was on the board until I couldn't stay on the board anymore."

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[Lee]

haha right he is...

[GommeInc]

I don't know what to say about this but "Ahh, bless him". What a pathetic thing to say, from a man who wanted information to be freely accessible and wanted to change the shape of global technology. What a truely pathetic thing to say, if this is true. It's not even theft! It's called competition, and Android and iOS are quite different from each other. If he wants to talk about companies stealing, then he should take a long hard look at his empire from heaven/hell.

[Ardemax]

And this has only been released today?

I used to admire Steve, and some ways still do, what with him being a drop-out and adopted and everything. But the idea of "I can sue blahblah so I get more money" is just American and frustrating.

Blergh to him.

[-:Undertaker:-]

There's a great quote from Congressman Dr. Ron Paul i'm sure it is, along the lines of; all businessmen support competition - until they're ontop.

[Inseriousity.]

There's a great quote from Congressman Dr. Ron Paul i'm sure it is, along the lines of; all businessmen support competition - until they're ontop.

haha so true
although you don't know if he was being genuine when he said these. the whole 'my dying breath' thing just sounds like someone being sarcastically melodramatic imo.

[Chippiewill]

I'm predicting fake or grossly exaggerated.

[Dopiefreak]

And this has only been released today?

I used to admire Steve, and some ways still do, what with him being a drop-out and adopted and everything. But the idea of "I can sue blahblah so I get more money" is just American and frustrating.

Blergh to him.

For someone who had more money than he could ever spend, to come out with such a strong statement, shows that this was likely nothing to do with money. Apple have slaved away, specifically in the last 10 years, making amazing and intuitive products, through hard work and talent. I can only imagine how frustrating it is for your competitor to then come out with a product blatantly inspired by Apple a few months later.

For people like Steve Jobs, this is their life... I think money is irrelevant.

[scottish]

For people like Steve Jobs, this is their life... I think money is irrelevant.

I find this funny, this is not a pointless post

Very funny post.

[GommeInc]

Everywhere seems to be reporting on him saying this in his biography :/ BBC, Mashable, CNN, Reuters... Why must the media keep digging him up, tying string to his hands and feet and having him do yet another show?

I think Undertaker summed this up nicely. Jobs loved the idea of competition and business moving away from corporate norms, but once he got on top he decided he was exempt from his founding business philosophy and that anyone shaping the world for the good was bad, except himself. I really hope this isn't true because if it is, it's the pot calling the kettle black.

But I guess we can't rant and rave about it. Jobs' legacy is unnecessary corporate court cases, pointless patents and anti-competition. If he saw his company and himself about 20 or 30 years ago he would be angry at himself. If this book is accurate, it's just showing him up as being a megalomaniac :/

"Those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones."
"Those who see splinters in the eyes of their competition cannot see the plank in their own eyes."

To name a few idioms