If Google isn’t fighting for its life in the mobile space with Apple (albeit, indirectly), they seem to be picking a fight with Microsoft in regards to two important features that all mobile users want.
Microsoft has been sounding off about Google in regards to their behavior when it comes to YouTube’s availability on Windows Phone native apps. Because there is no dedicated YouTube app (and won’t be) along with any other Google services, developers have gone out of their way to try and create native apps for Microsoft’s mobile operating system to fill the void. The issue with this is that Google regularly changes the APIs used by third parties that tends to break these apps and Microsoft has had enough of it.
This isn’t the first time Microsoft has had an issue with Google in the mobile space. Not too long ago, Google announced they were dropping Exchange ActiveSync support for Gmail along with calendar and contact syncing for new users at the end of the month. Even though I use Android now, this was a big deal for me as I used this service when I was using Windows Mobile 6.1.
It has been speculated that these may be in response to either the antitrust complaints made by Microsoft about Google in Europe or the anti-Google campaigns that Microsoft has launched over the years. However, I’m just reaching and it could be simply to cut costs (ActiveSync) and low user base (YouTube).
It’s really sad that it has to go and I feel bad for those users who will be left out to dry. When companies go back and forth like this for their dick-measuring competitions, its the consumer who is constantly getting pissed on.
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