[Samsung Galaxy Nexus] Deus_eps_machina:
Your Move, Google

Having read thousands of comments on other sites and the 16 pages of comments from XDA denizens…

It is hard to say who I am annoyed at more, Apple, Google, Samsung, the patent system or the commenters.

The obvious target is Apple and that’s the immediate reaction we all felt, that this is Apple simply litigating instead of innovating. And while that is true, how come no one is calling for patent system reform?

Where is Google, that has such a large stake in Android’s well-being that they haven’t lobbied for patent reform yet? It’s like every day I wake up and read my usual tech blogs I see Apple suing one Android OEM or another. And that is fine whatever, business as usual, be a douche to the consumer because you want to proliferate your ecosystem.

But why is Google not fighting back? I keep asking this very question every time I see Apple attacking core Android functionality, or basic computer evolution (slide to unlock or multi-touch). I have read, in this very thread, at least 50 posts of you guys saying stuff that amounts to “oh just wait till Google wakes up” or “Apple needs to stop poking Google”. And you know what; it won’t because I hardly doubt Google has anything to keep Android out of the fire. You cannot keep bringing up the notifications patent as it has yet to be granted, and it has been revised so many times as to imply that it won’t be granted anytime soon. Everyone keeps saying that Google will step in any day now and put Apple in its place.

It won’t.

Google has far too much at stake in iOS users profit-wise to touch Apple. Apple knows this and it pretty much has it by the balls. It attacks what is pretty much the vanguard of Android, Samsung, and what do most of you guys call for? “HURR SAMSUNG SHOULD STOP SUPPLYING APPLE”. Let’s be honest, that is dumb. Apple is its biggest customer so why would it just cut the production lines because of this litigation against a division? It is still a business and anyone who calls for nonsense like this needs to wake up and realize it will never happen no matter how bad we would like it to.

And this is where we will see some huge problems in the near future. I say so because what I see is Apple fishing to set legal precedent by successfully suing an Android OEM somewhere in the world for using infringing tech that would be considered core functionality to Android. And I sincerely believe it just did with the 604 patent. Apple does not want to license its tech (that it did not invent) to anyone. It isn’t like Microsoft that is simply making deals with the OEMs. Apple wants zero competition so that its ecosystem is the only one out there. It has no more good ideas to improve its product lines with. What was the biggest newest thing they put out? Retina Display. What is it? High resolution screens. Really? That’s it? That’s the best they could come up with? They’re running out of ideas that modern technology can allow, they need to kill competition to stay on top. They will not license anything to OEMs as its utopia is a reality where phones are no more advanced than a Blackberry. Once the legal precedent is set, it will start picking off other core functionalities to reduce Android to nothing, going from one OEM to another.

I have a Galaxy Nexus, had it since the day it was released. I am heavily invested in the Android ecosystem so screw everyone and their stupid nonsense about Apple hurting innovation or reducing choice for the consumer. While true, I don’t give a damn about that, I am not looking at the big picture. Let’s be honest, this is going to affect the horse we all bet on. The apps ecosystem we all invested in over the years. This is what we’re mostly concerned about, that and the fact that Apple just got what it wanted…an injuction against a Nexus device which is pretty much like going after Google itself.

All I can say is, your move Google. What do you really have, if anything, that will help at all? Cuz you know Apple is going to go after the S3 and Google Now next.