Over recent years, I’ve read a lot on Apple* but only during the flight back did I start reading anything on Google:Â In the Plex by Steven Levy. While I’m not yet finished it struck me the fundamental difference between Google and Apple is “who’s in control”.
With Google, engineers rule. Data rules. Everyone else is in the service of the engineers.
At Apple, designers rule. (Design in the full sense of how something operates and feels, not just how it looks).
And right there is the difference between the two companies. All else leads from that fundamental focus.
*Becoming Steve Jobs Brent Schlender & Rick Tetzeli
Design Crazy  Max Chafkin
Insanely Simple  Ken Segall
Inside Apple Adam Lashinsky
Steve Jobs Walter Isaacson
Comments
2 responses to “Google and Apple: Where’s the driving force?”
There’s been a lot of debate about the next major platform being AI / Machine Learning. If that’s true, then I think it’s fair to say Google’s cultural mindset has a leg up on Apple, especially where cloud services are becoming the essential “glue” that connects devices.
There’s no argument that Google has more mature cloud services, but I wouldn’t count Apple out of the picture. They’re already heavily invested in the IA side. http://www.philiphodgetts.com/2016/08/ai-and-machine-learning-in-apples-world/
In fact isn’t it almost Google on the AI side and Apple on the IA side?