Competition is good, and there's no shortage of it between tech companies. Which are better: Macs or PCs? Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer (pun intended)? Ultrabooks or MacBooks? Today one of the most relevant debate is Android vs iOS.
At the height of the Microsoft-Apple rivalry, it's hard to imagine either going after each other the way Samsung and Apple are now. The epic fight between the two companies stretches across courtrooms all over the globe. Samsung Fans would infiltrate Apple's forums while Apple Fans would take over social media whenever an iPhone is around the corner.
Whether it's fighting over a rocket launch or who is going to win the online video space, tech companies do a great job of disrupting traditional industries and themselves. Here are a few intense rivalries that shaped the tech world:
1. Apple vs Samsung:© Reuters
There may be plenty of other Android handsets out there, but for most people, it's a question of “Galaxy or iPhone.” Even though there are hundreds of other OEMs out there for Android, Samsung has been the best flagship maker for years and this takes the Android vs iOS debate directly between the S and Note Series vs the iPhone.
Thanks to four dozen patent lawsuits, the two companies have been suing and counter-suing each other across the courts for years. Apple even managed to get some of Samsung's older devices banned in the US for infringing on some of its patents. It is worth noting that Samsung is the one making OLED Panels for the iPhone X and in the past, the two have partnered multiple times for similar sourcing.
But the two still haven't put an end to their much bigger lawsuit — the one that originally netted Apple more than a $1 billion against Samsung, which has since been whittled down to closer to $400 million. That case returns to court in May to debate how the damages should be calculated.
The fact remains that both companies have produced the most popular smartphones in the world for the last few years, with Samsung staying ahead in sales volume while Apple staying ahead in profit margins.
2. Apple vs Microsoft:© YouTube
One of the most classic battles of all time has been, PC vs. Mac. With time came Windows 10 vs. macOS, iPhone vs. Windows Mobile (we all know who won there), or more recently iPad Pro vs. Surface Pro.
There was Microsoft software on the Apple II, later Microsoft's MS-DOS was adopted by IBM's 1981 PC design. After Apple released the Macintosh in 1984, though, Microsoft became its business rival with Windows, an OS with similar design elements to Macintosh. By the time Microsoft introduced Windows 95, it had 90% of the PC market and thought leadership in the category. In August of 1997, Gates stepped in and saved Apple, which, at the time, was on the brink of bankruptcy. Though Apple never recovered its market share in PCs, the company under the returning Jobs executed an amazing comeback in the '00s and dominated the mobile computing revolution.
At the time that Microsoft saved Apple, Microsoft was by far and away the larger of the two companies. That standing has since flipped: Apple's market capitalization is $880 billion and Microsoft's is $640 billion.
3. Intel vs AMD:© YouTube
Intel and AMD are the central competitors in the world of CPUs. Both AMD and Intel have been around for decades, it wasn't until 1974 that Intel made the 8080 processor. This set the basic scene for the x86 processors and for nearly 30 years, these processors were the foundation of desktop PCs.
First off, AMD is by far the smaller of the two companies. Secondly, AMD doesn't actually build their own chips, they design the chips “but outsource the manufacturing.” Meanwhile, Intel has over a dozen fabrication plants stretched around the globe in the USA, Ireland, Israel and China.
In 2006, the rivalry deepened when AMD acquired ATI, a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) manufacturer. This allowed AMD to deliver “GPUs that live on the same chip as the CPU.” Although this was something Intel could already do with its chips, it was a big step forward for AMD.
AMD also launched a lawsuit against Intel and claimed that Intel engaged in unfair competition by offering rebates to Japanese PC manufacturers. Intel agreed to pay AMD $1.25 billion as part of a deal to settle all outstanding legal disputes between the two companies.
4. Google vs Apple:© BCCL
Google once again raised Jobs' ire with its Android OS, which Jobs accused of being a direct ripoff of Apple's iOS. Jobs told Isaacson, "I'm going to destroy Android because it's a stolen product. I'm willing to go thermonuclear war on this ... I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple's $40 billion in the bank, to right this wrong."
Things weren't always this way; when the first iPhone was unveiled in 2007, it came with Google search engine, Google Maps, and YouTube installed on every device. But it was Google's acquisition of mobile start-up Android Inc. two years earlier that sowed the seeds of the companies' rivalry.
Apple even started filing lawsuits against Android OEMs like HTC and Motorola in an attempt to take down Google. The battle subsided slowly because it was soon clear that Android is here to stay and Apple will have to compete with Google in many more segments like Data.
Bonus - Facebook vs Snapchat:© Reuters
The way people share things has changed a lot. They don't just share updates, they now share experiences. Snapchat, the 'communicate through photos and videos' application is known for its great revenue model. Because of its great ad placements and other innovative features, Snapchat was given an offer of $3 billion by Facebook in 2013. It is now worth $25 billion and has a parent company – Snap Inc. which also deals in innovative tech spectacles.
Facebook has already earned a lot of negative publicity when it shamelessly copied Snapchat's stories feature and introduced it as Instagram stories and Whatsapp media status. But this publicity is short lived. Users are so addicted to Facebook that they'll use the features anyway. The introduction of Instagram stories actually worked in the favour of Facebook and slowed down the growth rate of Snapchat.
After posting a $2.2 billion loss in its first set of public earnings, Snap's stock nosedived. As of the close of trading today, it's at $18, 20% lower than the $23 asking price before yesterday's earnings. While Facebook is going strong with increasing Instagram and WhatsApp user base.
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