Newsflash: Apple hates Android and wants to do everything possible to wipe it off the face of the planet, regardless of how much money they have to spend to achieve that goal. The fight started in the courts, with Apple and Samsung trying to get each other products off store shelves, but then Google decided to up their game by buying Motorola and their treasure trove of patents so they could protect their Android partners. According to Dow Jones, Apple is tired of all this back and forth bullshit and just wants to settle. They’re looking for Samsung and Motorola to cough up between $5 and $15 for every Android device they sell. Add on top of that the estimated $10 that Microsoft is making off practically every Android device currently on the market, and Apple’s motive becomes clear: Make Android so ridiculously expensive to use that companies will start thinking about adopting other platforms.
Does any of this bickering matter to you, the consumer? Not really. If Apple gets their way then expect the cost of your next Android smartphone to go up slightly. Chances are you’re going to buy it on contract anyway, so you’re not even going to notice the price increase. If Apple doesn’t get their way … again, nothing happens. We wish all these millions of dollars being spent on lawyers was put to better use, either by pouring more into R&D or advanced tooling, but hey, this is the sad reality we live in. It’s likely not going to change for the foreseeable future either.
The bigger question is what happens if Microsoft tries to make licensing Windows Phone more attractive than using Android? We’re roughly half a year away until Windows 8 comes out, and when that happens Microsoft can genuinely say: “If you know how to use Windows, then you know how to use Windows Phone.”
Apple said the same thing they launched the iPad three years ago. Look how well that worked.