Silicon Valley makes no sense. In January, Apple and Google got so close that the rumor mills buzzed with word that they would form an alliance with Sun to take on Microsoft…again. Yesterday, Sun made some pretty big announcements: They rolled out JavaFX development platform, which truly promises to deliver on the dream of “write once, run everywhere” that the company has promised since it launched Java more than a decade ago, and that always means more opportunity for apps to come to the Mac.
On the other hand, they showed off a mobile phone platform that will try to compete with Apple’s iPhone by, you know, LOOKING EXACTLY LIKE AN iPHONE, but across manufacturers and at a cheap price. While I think Apple’s ability to make data syncing a snap is the real competitive advantage of the iPhone and that the company’s implementation of multitouch will be better than anyone else’s, I still think other companies aren’t out for the count yet. Sun might be making the platform for that competition. And the Valley is still buzzing on word that Google might release its own phone. So why are Apple, Google and Sun best buds one moment and worst enemies the next?
Technorati Tags: google, iphone, java
Seth Weintraub of 9 to 5 Mac makes some interesting points about Sun’s recent love for Apple, but I don’t know if it outweighs an overt competitive action like this. The only thing I can think is that it’s simply a matter of battles chosen. There are places (enterprise, software development) where Apple and Sun can be natural allies because they have complementary strengths, with Google as a third leg in the triumvirate. Each has capabilities the others can’t match There are other markets — mobile phones, for example — where Apple, Google and Sun each have the opportunity to carve out a major piece of the market, and current alliances aren’t set up to last.
And I think that’s just the way Silicon Valley acts. Everyone is close friends until they betray each other, and then they become friends again later when it suits them. If you’re outside of that social context, it just doesn’t make sense. But failure and competition get things done here. After all, Yahoo and Google are as likely to be teaming up as they are to be at each other’s throats.
Sun and Apple Forging Alliance | 9 to 5 Mac
Found on Digg.
