Apple CEO Steve Jobs

(Corbis/Kim Kulish)

n a company meeting following the iPad launch, Apple CEO Steve Jobs reportedly had some choice words for fellow tech giant Google, saying the company's "Don't be evil" mantra is "bullshit" (or "a load of crap," depending on the source). Was Jobs just taking a cheap shot at a competitor, or was he saying what everyone in Silicon Valley already thinks?

Apple doth protest too much: Of course "iJefe" Jobs has a point about Google's "Don't be evil" tagline, says Foster Kamer at Gawker. Any tech company "telling people they're out to make the World a Better Place are basically full of it" — but of course, that "obviously includes Apple."
"Steve Jobs at Apple employee Q & A: Google's evil tagline 'bullshit' and Flash is 'lazy'"

Jobs has a point: The Apple CEO is "only voicing what hundreds of other companies that have had to work with Google have said privately," says Clint Boulton in eWeek. Regardless of the company mantra, Google certainly doesn't seem shy about inflicting "collateral damage" on anyone who tries to stand in the way of its total domination of the Web.
"Apple CEO Steve Jobs says Google's 'Don't be evil' pledge is BS"

The Apple-Google war is overhyped: The touted "demise of the Apple-Google business relationship" is being blown way out of proportion, says Seth Weintraub at Computerworld. In his iPad unveiling, Jobs went out of his way to show how "smitten" he is with the tablet's Google Maps and YouTube HD video apps. Sure, Google and Apple are increasingly competitors, but their "cooperation benefits both companies immensely," too.
"The iPad shows that Apple and Google still have a relationship"

The Apple-Google fight is great for you: It's no surprise that "Steve Jobs might not like Google wading into his phone business," says Jay Yarrow in Business Insider. And Google may not like Apple's forays into its territory. "But consumers should love" this escalating rivalry, because it's already starting "to make Apple and Google try harder to beat each other by offering better products."
"Next iPhone update is supposed to be an 'A+'"

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SEE MORE OF THE WEEK'S APPLE & GOOGLE COVERAGE:
• Apple vs. Google: the war begins?
• Slogan showdown: Tampons vs iPad
• Google's new phone: Murderous?
• Apple "Tablet" madness