Steve Jobs Biographer: Yes, Jobs Really Did Hate Android
Don’t let the sweet, sugar coated words of Google’s CEO Larry Page fool you. Steve Jobs really did hate Android and yes, he wanted to destroy it. This was reaffirmed by “Steve Jobs” author, Walter Isaacson who spoke at the Royal Institution a few nights ago.
Isaacson explained that, contrary to Larry Page’s sentiments that Steve Jobs’ anger was “just for show,” the hate was, in fact, very real and began when — according to Jobs — Apple’s devices were copied “verbatim” by Google’s own mobile OS. What really set Jobs off was when Android began stealing Apple’s smartphone market share after Google “promiscuously” licensed Android to anyone with the hardware to support it. It was out of this hatred (and fear?) that it no longer became about the money for Jobs and he was famously quoted as saying, “‘You can’t pay me off, I’m here to destroy you.'”
Given the length Apple has gone to in an effort to indirectly attack Android, this makes perfect sense. Isaac did go on to mention that Job’s sentiment isn’t shared by current Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, whom he believes will most likely settle the lawsuits. We’ll have to wait and see. Do you guys think this is a fight Apple will eventually back down from?
[Cnet]