Google+ which was unveiled to a limited audience recently has been the focal point of Google’s latest push into the social networking scene (remember Orkut, Buzz and Wave?). Google’s latest attempt seems to be drawing crowds and it has already got an Android app ready. Now it has even submitted a Google+ app to Apple for the iPhone and the iPad. Hence, now Apple will determine the fate of Google’s latest attempt, at-least on iOS featured products.
Keep in mind that Apple has never thought twice about rejecting apps that have threatened its own iOS features. For example, apps for Google Voice and Opera were initially rejected (even though both versions finally made into the iPhone back in 2010).
Analysts are quite confident about the Google+ app because Apple does not have a social-networking site of its own. However, there are certain features in Google+ that closely resemble Apple iOS features. For example, the Huddle feature resembles the upcoming iMessage and the Hangout feature is very similar to Apple’s FaceTime. In the end, I think Apple will allow the new apps to take hold but it would be wary of any future advances, especially if Google+ becomes a formidable rival to Facebook.
Apple may not have any direct interest in the conflict but might want to maintain a sort of balance of power by not allowing Google maintain a strong hold in the social networking scene. However, if Google+ fails to make an impression anyway, Apple would have just provoked a hostile reaction from both Google and regulators and achieved nothing in the process.
Google itself may not be so worried because Android enabled phones have a greater market share than Apple. However, it would be stupid to rule out the users of Apple products because they tend to be the heaviest users of video and online-entertainment apps. Hence, if Google were to shut itself out, it could lose a very important market.
No comments:
Post a Comment