YouTube on iPhone
Google certainly seem to be very much behind the iPhone with google maps being one of the killer apps that is on there, but the 12th application announced from the never-ending hype is now YouTube. See the press release from apple YouTube Coming to iPhone.
After the rumours of Google starting a UK mobile phone network seemed to dwindle the iPhone looks like their platform of choice. (Surely this can’t just be because they share a board member).
I guess that there won’t be a gmail client for the iPhone, but it would be interesting if Apple became the device company and google the services company. I don’t think this will happen though after seeing Steve Jobs talk at D5 he seems to be placing Apple as a services company too - just with proprietary devices. I think this is just a convenient partnership against Microsoft, and I am sure it will only be in areas where Apple don’t intend to develop, maps and video seem better handled by the market leader.
I wonder if this is a sign of Google planning to do more with the Safari browser, they have been very supportive of Firefox, but now that Safari is on Windows perhaps this will become their platform of choice. I think this is unlikely as Google is so big that left and right hand rarely coordinate on work now - and they are progressing ahead with Gears for off-line work and this is not yet Safari compatible. I think they will want to drive forward on all non-Microsoft browsers, especially as one of those browsers is about to be in 3 million US pockets by the end of the month.
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