iPhone 5 Release Date: New Phone Will Abandon Google Maps and YouTube
With speculation swirling around about the new features on Apple’s iPhone 5, one thing seems to be true: Apple is saying goodbye to Google.
There have been plenty of rumors regarding the new phone’s thinner design, 19-pin port (instead of the standard 30-pin port), and the different location for the headphone jack. However, there has also been talk that iPhone 5 will not include Google Maps or Google-owned YouTube. If that is true, this marks a major move in the burgeoning war between Apple and Google.
This is a relatively new development for both corporations. For a long time, the two companies co-existed rather harmoniously, as Apple focused its energy on producing devices (MacBooks, iPhones, iPads, etc.) while Google was busy making software (Google Mail, Google Maps, Google Analytics, and so on). However, all that began to change when Google began its foray into producing its own gadgets, like the Google Chromebook. The first version of the hard drive-less computer wasn’t a big hit with consumers, yet it was enough to inspire a possible future filled with more Google-made devices.
Conversely, Apple has always believed in keeping as much of its production in-house as possible, making its own chips at least since 2009. On one hand, it looks like the company has major trust issues. On the other, this kind of micromanagement has allowed Apple to make its “superior products.”
In any case, Apple’s decision to abandon Google Maps and YouTube leaves consumers worrying whether the new Apple-based inventions will be as good as the all-powerful Google software. According the Apple software developers, the answer is no. Apparently, Apple maps will not have public transportation information built-in like Google Maps, which kind of seems like a step backwards for users and the company.
Nonetheless, all of this gossip remains just that. Until the iPhone 5 is officially released –– on September 12 –– we can only wonder how good a Google-less iPhone can be.
