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Friday, Jan 4, 2013 6:43 PM UTC

Google invades the iPhone

Steve Jobs would not be amused: The search giant's killer new apps blow away Apple's homegrown offerings

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Topics: iPhone, Google, google maps, gmail, smartphones, Editor's Picks,

Google invades the iPhone (Credit: skodonnell via iStock/Salon)

Like many thousands of other iPhone users, I waited until the release of the new Google Maps app before upgrading my operating system to iOS6. This is how we express our independence today — declining to upgrade!

But then I diddled around, distracted by the holidays. I didn’t actually install Google Maps until I was reminded to by a Business Insider article elucidating Google’s “worm strategy” of “attacking Apple from the inside out.” Google’s apps for the iPhone are so good that they are increasingly preferable to Apple’s own apps for its own hardware.

I went whole hog. I installed Google Maps, Google Chrome, YouTube and Google’s new Gmail app. I even threw in Google+ for good measure, though I have yet to make much use of Google’s attempt to dislodge Facebook. I exiled Apple Maps, Safari, and Apple’s Mail app to a folder labeled “Seething.” (My own little joke, because Apple execs were reportedly “seething” at the rapturous response the world showered on the new Google Maps app.)

There is no question that Google’s offerings represent a significant upgrade, one that is amazingly easy to embrace. The new Maps and Gmail apps are superb. I find Chrome much easier to use than Safari. And even aside from their clear superiority, it’s always fun to subvert Apple’s ongoing efforts to control all aspects of my digital existence.

But then there’s the whole exchanging-one-master-for-another dilemma. Google’s ability to cross-reference my search history, location data and circles of friends (after logging in to my YouTube account, I see a stream of videos recommended by my Google+ circles, for example) gives Sergey Brin and company unparalleled ability to target me with advertisements. I don’t see them yet on my new Gmail, but I’m sure they’re coming. And that makes me a little nervous. I can never decide whether I am thrilled or alarmed when I search for a product and, along with the results, am notified that the Best Buy in Emeryville is the nearest store where I can purchase it. Google, you know too much! When does convenience become a prison?

The fight for my digital attention between Google and Apple has been called the most important battle in tech. It’s both peculiar and wonderful that this battle is being fought via icons on a device that fits in my palm. And I wonder — how will Apple respond to losing such valuable territory? A look at my iPhone now reveals a sea of Google branding. That can’t last forever, can it?

Andrew Leonard

Andrew Leonard is a staff writer at Salon. On Twitter, @koxinga21. More Andrew Leonard.

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  • The protests take on a festive element as police forces move out of the park and square. Wearing a gas mask, this young man dances to traditional Turkish music in front of Taksim Square’s Ataturk Monument.

  • In Gezi Park since March 31st, this protester, originally caught off-guard by the Government’s teargas and water cannons, went out and bought a Russian army mask from WWII, preparing for what was to come.

  • This rambunctious boy seems to be enjoying the chaos. After taking this picture he threw a stone at the already destroyed building in the background.

  • Forming a line, the police face off directly with protesters in Taksim Square. After a while, they retreated and there was a general cheer – a back-and-forth dance that has been common since the beginning of this protest.

  • An elderly woman in Gezi Park reads the news. The tent community occupying the park was violently destroyed on June 16th.

  • Many different groups had set up booths to promote their cause in Taksim Square and Gezi Park. Standing in front of one, this man waves his flag while posing with conviction.

  • Many home-remedies are used to minimize the effects of tear gas. This woman has put a milky solution on her face, removing her mask after the tear gas dissipated. Before sunrise, the police came again for another round of teargasing.

  • People capitalize on the uprising -- selling flags, beer, gas masks, sky lanterns and spray paint to name just a few of the popular items.

  • On Monday morning, June 11, the police execute a strong offensive. Many plain-clothed police officers, like the ones seen here, clash with protesters in the side streets away from the main stand-off in Taksim.

  • The authorities seem to be most aggressive in the night, pushing protesters away from the square and park. After being teargassed this young woman catches her breath with other protesters on Siraselviler Street.

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