Jobs clear Google will stay for now

Steve Jobs at his D8 session made it clear that Apple didn't plan to take on Google in the search space. He stated bluntly that Apple had "no" plans to drop Google or its apps from the iPhone and that there wouldn't be retaliation by competing directly with Google's core search engines. The conversation recalled Jobs' well-known townhall meeting, where the executive accused Google of competing against Apple without warning but implied he wouldn't retaliate on a one-for-one level.

"They [at Google] decided to compete with us," Jobs said. "We didn't go into the search business."

He provided more color for the situation and said that Google chief Eric Schmidt had never warned Apple in advance of what would eventually become Android. When asked if he felt betrayed, he joked that it was a personal question. "My sex life is pretty good, how's yours?" he said.

Apple's acquisition of Siri wasn't a venture into search but the buyout of an artificial intelligence company, Jobs explained. "We have no plans to go into the search business. We don't care about it; other people do it well," he mentioned again.

The statements, while not necessarily a reflection of Apple's permanent attitude towards Google, put to bed rumors that Apple would try to take on Google in the most direct form possible. They likewise seemingly quash rumors of a short-term deal for Bing, at least as a primary search option.

By Electronista Staff

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iPhone, industry, Google, Steve Jobs, Android, mobile phones, Eric Schmidt, Apple, Bing, Siri