Behind the scenes talks between Apple’s CEO Tim Cook and Google Chief Exec Larry Page took place last week and more are scheduled, according to Reuters sources. A pow-wow today between the two chiefs has had to be rescheduled but the two are due to talk again in the coming weeks. The sources also indicate that low level executives at the two companies are also taking part in discussions.
The recent Apple victory over Samsung in the US court will no doubt give the two CEOs plenty to talk about. All the Samsung devices Apple had issues with were Google Android OS powered. Several design aspects of the Samsung smartphones under scrutiny in the AppSung case can be attributed to how the Android OS works.
The new legal action instigated by Motorola Mobility (recently acquired by Google) against Apple will probably be featured in any discussions too. Perhaps it is the Motorola case which has acted as a catalyst to get these two giants talking. The Reuters source said that the two CEOs discussions last week didn’t result in any formal agreements but it is a good sign that the negotiations appear to be ongoing.
Interestingly Google’s short statement at the weekend must have been released around the same time as the first Cook/Page discussion. Reading the statement doesn’t give very much away about the mood within the Google camp at the time of writing.
Over recent months Apple has been lessening its devices reliance upon Google products and services. Apple is replacing Google Maps with its own mapping software and YouTube will not be pre-loaded any more. Google’s place as the default search engine is in question too but most commentators say that Goole Search competitors are definitely lower grade and replacing Google search would be akin to “cutting off your nose to spite your face”.
Apple and Google have so far declined to comment on the discussions.
