Why Steve Jobs Went 'Thermonuclear' Over Android
Anyone who follows the smartphone and tablet market knows that Android has become the No. 1 mobile operating system in the world. They also know that, prior to his death in 2011, Steve Jobs was not very happy about Google's mobile operating system. In fact, he made a rather bold threat when he talked about his dislike of this competing mobile OS.
"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. I'm going to destroy Android, because it's a stolen product. I'm willing to go thermonuclear war on this," the late CEO famously said.
When Apple was working on its iPhone strategy, which included what is now iOS, Google's CEO was Eric Schmidt and he was serving on Apple's board. That means that he was likely privy to Apple's iPhone strategy and roadmap at the same time Android was in its infancy. Two years prior to the iPhone launch, Google acquired Andy Rubin's Android Inc., which would eventually became the Android mobile OS.
That much we know. But there are some questions that, to this day, I still cannot get a solid answer about from anyone involved with this issue.
