Apple vs. Google: Tech's Newest Rivalry? - BusinessWeek

See the full article for more details.  My $.02 follows the excerpt below.

Google is the standard-bearer for a wide-open world of Web standards in which programmers should be able to run nearly any software on almost any computing device. From Google's perspective, the more the merrier—so long as those programs, devices, and Web sites create places for Google to sell online ads.

Open World vs. Tight Control

Apple's view is sharply different. The company keeps its ecosystem of software developers carefully manicured and maintains tight control over what software can be sold for its iPhone. The reasons range from filtering out schlock applications to what some observers say is putting the kibosh on applications that compete with Apple's own offerings or those of iPhone wireless carrier AT&T (T). That may have been why Apple blocked Web-calling software Google Voice from the iPhone last month.

My $.02: much of the press and blogosphere commentary in this context over the last couple days (primary triggering events: Schmidt’s exit from the Apple board and the controversy about Apple blocking Google Voice on the iPhone) is only looking at part of the story – e.g., Apple happens to make some very popular Internet-centric devices and services, even though it also takes a 30% cut on its app store.

I think the bigger question is why Google feels compelled to make big shifts in its “co-opetition” continuum relationships with Apple, Microsoft, Mozilla.org, Palm, and many others.  Apparently the mainstream Internet simply isn’t evolving fast enough for Google, and/or in ways Google would prefer, when it comes to customers, content, and specific (real or de facto) standards etc. that Google can control.

We’ve seen this pattern before, in several respects – with Netscape, in bubble 1.0.

Apple vs. Google: Tech's Newest Rivalry? - BusinessWeek