Apple vs. Google War Escalates over Google Maps

You can always tell when Steve Jobs in the house. He was away for a while to recuperate and give himself a chance to get over his illness. Whether Steve Jobs is directly responsible for what has gone on between Apple and Google, it all seems like a signature “SJ” moment. It all started when Apple and Google couldn’t agree on the details on Google’s Latitude and Voice apps. Apple asked Google to make modifications to Google Latitude or risk being rejected over and over again. The battle over Google Voice was even more contentious and involved discussions between the FCC and each of the parties involved.

The war over Google Voice still rages on, and even though Apple and at&t have claimed innocence here, you can always tell that Apple is trying hard to keep control over the gadget that has helped it reach new heights. When Eric Schmidt resigned from his position from Apple’s board, that was a small indication of the high tensions between the two giants. You could tell at that moment that Steve Jobs and his colleagues were not going to go easy on a company that was clearly trying to defy Apple and challenge its control over iPhone. The battle seems to have reached a new level.

In a move that stunned many industry experts, Apple has quietly taken over a top competitor to Google Maps in an effort that most experts consider to be about kicking Google maps off of the iPhone and iPod Touch. Apple did acquire Placebase sometime in July and has absorbed the talent to lead its Geo team. Placebase used to have decent maps, and the quality of service was superb. With Placebase technology, Apple now has all the ammunition it needs to strike yet another blow to Google products on iPhone.

Apple is one of the most innovative companies in the world, but this latest move seems awfully Microsoft-like. We all know about the contentious battles that Microsoft has been a part of. These back and forth fighting is not great for consumers either. One would hope that the people behind this move realize that there is so much fighting consumers are willing to handle. And if the new Apple maps programs is not as good as Google Maps, it’s going to cause some trouble for Apple.

Your take: is kicking Google Maps off the right move by Apple?