oogle's quiet invasion of iOS is kind of brilliant if you think about it.

Google's dedicated apps for Maps, Chrome, and Gmail are superior to any of the iPhone's native counterparts, and have become hugely (and for Tim Cook and Co., embarrassingly) popular in Apple's App Store. Plus, not only do these Google apps beam valuable consumer data back to the Mountain View mothership, but they simultaneously throttle Apple's connection to its customers. It's two birds with one stone; a software-powered one-two punch.

Now consider this: Google may be exporting Google Now — its celebrated, do-everything assistant — to iOS. According to a leaked video taken down from YouTube but grabbed by Engadget, Google's voice-activated life-organizer could soon be finding its way to your iPhone and iPad.

Of course, the video could turn out to be an elaborate fake, so let's treat it with a healthy dose of skepticism — at least for now. It's worth remembering, too, that Google already snuck voice commands onto the iPhone, although its functionality beyond search is somewhat limited (through no fault of its own, either).

That said, bringing a fully operational version of Google Now to iOS would obviously be another problem for Siri, who was oversold and has under-delivered. Google Now on the iPhone would be a stellar win for Google and the people who use its products on a variety of platforms. For Apple? Another not-so-subtle reminder that things just aren't what they used to be.

Chris Gayomali

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Chris Gayomali is the science and technology editor for TheWeek.com. Previously, he was a tech reporter at TIME. His work has also appeared in Men's Journal, Esquire, and The Atlantic, among other places. Chris lives in Brooklyn, a place where writers rarely live.