Google Accused Of Trying To Sabotage Windows Phone

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I'll keep the commentary to myself and let you guys decide if this is a dick move or not.

The long-running cold war between Microsoft and Google has just turned hot. In response to Google’s decision to once again block Microsoft’s Windows Phone YouTube app, Microsoft deputy general counsel David Howard accused Google of intentionally trying to keep YouTube off of Windows Phone to damage Windows Phone users’ experience with the platform.
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How is this wrong? Google helped make a perfectly fine app that they were OK with but MS decided to fuck with it thus making Google say "no" again. NO ONE is to blame here EXCEPT MS...so thank them for this instead of getting mad at Google.
 
I personally want to see Microsoft fad out and get replaced by other companies. This could happen but it could take a while.

The Microsoft brand is constantly taken a beating in the media and for obvious reasons. Windows 8, Surface tablet, Windows phone, Xbox One, etc, and that's just recently.

I read some of the Google Dev blogs on the subject and they go into much more detail that most of the articles out there don't. One dev said Microsoft was given a very clear set of instructions, mostly geek programming talk I don't understand too well but that Microsoft basically ignored those sets of instructions.
 
JoeUser said:
How is this wrong? Google helped make a perfectly fine app that they were OK with but MS decided to fuck with it thus making Google say "no" again. NO ONE is to blame here EXCEPT MS...so thank them for this instead of getting mad at Google.
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HUH?

Did you read the article? Google asked MS to code their app ins HTML5 -- which google themselves do not use in iOS nor Android.

At least that's what I gathered from the article.
 
MSFT probably jury-rigged their API calls to run the YouTube app and the app is having none of it. The app is revolting. :D
 
Almost seems like Google wants MS to make the youtube app in HTML5 so they can use it as a base :p
 
I have a windows phone, and i have no idea why you'd want (or need) an app in the first place. The app was slower than just bookmarking youtube.com, and provided no other features than searching from what i could tell.
 
chockomonkey said:
I have a windows phone, and i have no idea why you'd want (or need) an app in the first place. The app was slower than just bookmarking youtube.com, and provided no other features than searching from what i could tell.
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I sort of agree.

I don't use the native youtube app on iOS because you can't easily change quality settings on the fly like you can via web browser. It's also easier sending a link to someone with the web version IMO.

The app is overrated.

Still think the whole situation is pretty comical though
 
What's really stupid about the whole thing is Google keeps complaining that Microsoft isn't displaying ads in their app.

Well, the new app did display ads when internal conditions were met. Internal conditions are used because Google still wont give Microsoft the official ad API. Google complained that ads still were still a problem and cut off access...

But get this, that forces a fallback to the mobile site, which NEVER displays ads. Google basically just made the thing they were complaining about worse...
 
Pot calling the Kettle black.

Personally I think Google is the more dangerous company.
 
chockomonkey said:
I have a windows phone, and i have no idea why you'd want (or need) an app in the first place. The app was slower than just bookmarking youtube.com, and provided no other features than searching from what i could tell.
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Agreed.

I actually like my Win8 phone better than any Android phone I've every had. Everything just works. Then again, I don't have 10000 apps installed for every stupid thing, just stuff that's actually useful.

For the most part, I don't even worry about my Win8 phone, unlike when I had an Android based phone I was always worried if it would actually work on a daily basis. Plus, the latest update (pre 8.1) has just about quadrupled my battery life, improved Wi-Fi and GPS, along with a general speed up of the phone.
 
I am sorry but this just sounds like a blatant nut punch for Google. Hey Google, if you don't like how Microsoft is doing. Why don't you just make the app yourself. Oh wait, you already said you wouldn't do that either.

Looks like Windows Phone users are Scoogled. :)
 
Fuck google. They are becoming the very thing they always preach against.
 
somecallmeTim said:
Agreed.

I actually like my Win8 phone better than any Android phone I've every had. Everything just works. Then again, I don't have 10000 apps installed for every stupid thing, just stuff that's actually useful.

For the most part, I don't even worry about my Win8 phone, unlike when I had an Android based phone I was always worried if it would actually work on a daily basis. Plus, the latest update (pre 8.1) has just about quadrupled my battery life, improved Wi-Fi and GPS, along with a general speed up of the phone.
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This x100. After using Android for years, WP8 is like a breath of fresh air. I just got the GDR2 release on my 928 and the phone is now even better.
 
Unknown-One said:
What's really stupid about the whole thing is Google keeps complaining that Microsoft isn't displaying ads in their app.

Well, the new app did display ads when internal conditions were met. Internal conditions are used because Google still wont give Microsoft the official ad API. Google complained that ads still were still a problem and cut off access...

But get this, that forces a fallback to the mobile site, which NEVER displays ads. Google basically just made the thing they were complaining about worse...
Click to expand...

Forgot to mention, Google seems to be attacking only Microsoft's app. myTube and MetroTube are in the Windows Phone marketplace, break many of the same "terms" Google has set, and Google doesn't seem to mind them existing with many thousands of users...
 
Unknown-One said:
Forgot to mention, Google seems to be attacking only Microsoft's app. myTube and MetroTube are in the Windows Phone marketplace, break many of the same "terms" Google has set, and Google doesn't seem to mind them existing with many thousands of users...
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Pretty much.
 
I just got the Nokia Lumia 928, as an upgrade from my Android phone. And I'm really impressed with the speed and overall operation of the OS.
 
somecallmeTim said:
Everything just works. Then again, I don't have 10000 apps installed for every stupid thing, just stuff that's actually useful.
...
Plus, the latest update (pre 8.1) has just about quadrupled my battery life, improved Wi-Fi and GPS, along with a general speed up of the phone.
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I haven't used anything other than windows phone. I was a late adopter in the smartphone world--the first one i used was a windows phone 7. Honestly, i hated the thing. It was slow and buggy--it's really no wonder WP got he bad rap it did.

however with WP8--fuckin glorious and i love the hell out of it. It's funny how your comment "Everything Just Works" is kinda apple reminiscent, but indeed that's exactly how i feel. I also don't need tons of apps to do what i want to do. I have only one app i can think of that i use (the weather channel). Everything else is built in and works like a charm.

Also--thanks for the info on the OS update! I had no idea there was one waiting, and for some reason the notification setting was off.
 
Microsoft's lawyer has responded with some very good points. LINK

You may be wondering what happened to the YouTube app for Windows Phone. Last May, after we launched a much improved app on our platform, Google objected on a number of grounds. We took our app down and agreed to work with Google to solve their issues. This week, after we addressed each of Google’s points, we re-launched the app, only to have Google technically block it.

We know that this has been frustrating, to say the least, for our customers. We have always had one goal: to provide our users a YouTube experience on Windows Phone that’s on par with the YouTube experience available to Android and iPhone users. Google’s objections to our app are not only inconsistent with Google’s own commitment of openness, but also involve requirements for a Windows Phone app that it doesn’t impose on its own platform or Apple’s (both of which use Google as the default search engine, of course).

When we first built a YouTube app for Windows Phone, we did so with the understanding that Google claimed to grow its business based on open access to its platforms and content, a point it reiteratedlast year. As antitrust enforcers have launched investigations against Google – some of which are still ongoing – the company has reiterated its commitment to openness and its ability to stick to its openness commitments voluntarily.

With this backdrop, we temporarily took down our full-featured app when Google objected to it last May, and have worked hard to accommodate Google’s requests. We enabled Google’s advertisements, disabled video downloads and eliminated the ability for users to view reserved videos. We did this all at no cost to Google, which one would think would want a YouTube app on Windows Phone that would only serve to bring Google new users and additional revenue.

There was one sticking point in the collaboration. Google asked us to transition our app to a new coding language – HTML5. This was an odd request since neither YouTube’s iPhone app nor its Android app are built on HTML5. Nevertheless, we dedicated significant engineering resources to examine the possibility. At the end of the day, experts from both companies recognized that building a YouTube app based on HTML5 would be technically difficult and time consuming, which is why we assume YouTube has not yet made the conversion for its iPhone and Android apps.

For this reason, we made a decision this week to publish our non-HTML5 app while committing to work with Google long-term on an app based on HTML5. We believe this approach delivers our customers a short term experience on par with the other platforms while putting us in the same position as Android and iOS in enabling an eventual transition to new technology. Google, however, has decided to block our mutual customers from accessing our new app.

It seems to us that Google’s reasons for blocking our app are manufactured so that we can’t give our users the same experience Android and iPhone users are getting. The roadblocks Google has set up are impossible to overcome, and they know it.

Google claims that one problem with our new app is that it doesn’t always serve ads based on conditions imposed by content creators. Our app serves Google’s advertisements using all the metadata available to us. We’ve asked Google to provide whatever information iPhone and Android get so that we can mirror the way ads are served on these platforms more precisely. So far at least, Google has refused to give this information to us. We are quite confident that we can solve this issue if Google cooperates, but fixing Google’s concern here is entirely within Google’s control. If Google stops blocking our app, we are happy to work with them on this, entirely at Microsoft’s expense.

Google also says that we are not complying with its “terms and conditions.” What Google really means is that our app is not based on HTML5. The problem with this argument, of course, is that Google is not complying with this condition for Android and iPhone. Again, we’re happy to collaborate with Google on an HTML5 app, but we shouldn’t be required to do something that apparently neither iPhone nor Android has successfully figured out how to do.

Google raises concerns about our branding too. The funny thing about this point is that we’ve been using the same branding continuously since 2010 for an inferior YouTube app. Now that we have an app that gives users a fuller YouTube experience, Google objects to the branding (even though we’ve taken additional steps to clarify that we are the author of the app). Go figure.

Finally, Google cites a degraded experience. Since 2010, Google permitted a Windows Phone app that was far below the iPhone and Android app experiences. Reviews of our new app are unanimous that the experience is much improved, and we’re committed to making adjustments to improve it further. If Google were truly concerned about a degraded experience, it would allow our users access to the new YouTube app they love.

We think it’s clear that Google just doesn’t want Windows Phone users to have the same experience as Android and Apple users, and that their objections are nothing other than excuses. Nonetheless, we are committed to giving our users the experience they deserve, and are happy to work with Google to solve any legitimate concerns they may have. In the meantime, we once again request that Google stop blocking our YouTube app.
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That said, I still don't feel sorry for Microsoft. In other departments, lately they've been digging their own grave.
 
Unknown-One said:
Forgot to mention, Google seems to be attacking only Microsoft's app. myTube and MetroTube are in the Windows Phone marketplace, break many of the same "terms" Google has set, and Google doesn't seem to mind them existing with many thousands of users...
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1) Microsoft was advertising their Youtube app as "the official youtube app"
2) Google has bigger fish to fry than chasing every youtube knockoff app written by some teenager in India

Imagine Google made their own "Official <insert Microsoft trademark/IP here>" for Android -- how long do you think it would be until Microsoft's legal department began foaming at the mouth?

People act like Google is obligated to make apps for every platform that barely exists. All I know is the fact the king of anti-competitive practices is now getting a taste of its own medicine is the comedy gift that keeps on giving.
 
maboblivion said:
and microducks isn't trying to sabotage google's business,a pppppplease!!!
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Seriously.. MS keeps putting money into attack campaigns like "scroogled" - going as far as hiring a political campaign manager for the job, then spills salty tears when Google doesn't share.
 
It's just odd to me. You'd think google would want an app on every device to get more traffic.

Why aren't they the ones developing it?
 
chockomonkey said:
It's just odd to me. You'd think google would want an app on every device to get more traffic.

Why aren't they the ones developing it?
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Because maybe a mobile platform with the marketshare of a statistical rounding error doesnt interest them?

Should they keep putting development resources into Youtube apps for Blackberry and Palm as well?
 
DPI said:
Because maybe a mobile platform with the marketshare of a statistical rounding error doesnt interest them?

Should they keep putting development resources into Youtube apps for Blackberry and Palm as well?
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If the revenue generated by the extra hits exceeds development cost.

I guess the fact that they are not developing these things means that the potential revenue is not enough.
 
Yes, I'm sure developing a youtube app would be a massive financial burden... said nobody ever.
 
DPI said:
Because maybe a mobile platform with the marketshare of a statistical rounding error doesnt interest them?

Should they keep putting development resources into Youtube apps for Blackberry and Palm as well?
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Blackberry yes, Palm no. You make it sound like this is a difficult and time consuming task. They could probably just recycle 90% of their existing code and be done in a day or so.
 
DPI said:
Because maybe a mobile platform with the marketshare of a statistical rounding error doesnt interest them?

Should they keep putting development resources into Youtube apps for Blackberry and Palm as well?
Click to expand...

The hell are you on? Google didn't spend much of the resource to put that in place. They provide the API, developer uses that API to make it work. So most of the resources is in the developer of that platform -- NOT google.

I think this was probably the reason why Apple removed the stupid app from their stock app when one upgrades to IOS6.
 
LOL, google, company that wastes resources for years on apps that nobody knows and uses, would worry about wasting money developing a youtube app for a viable mobile platform. Some posters' fanboism borders on the absurd.
 
DPI said:
Stopped reading there because it has departed reality.
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Departed reality? You do realize that BlackBerry is still #3 mobile OS in the US, no? Perhaps it will stay #3, perhaps not; but I do know that BB10 has tremendous potential. I currently own the BlackBerry Q10 and it an amazing device for business and Google apps would be very welcome on the platform.
 
If MS is developing the app and just using the API that google gives and conforms to everything but the HTML5 req. that supposedly neither the iOS or Android app does then I really don't see a problem. Google isn't spending any money or resource and are basically getting more hits on YouTube for free then who's the one really hurting? Seems to me like google doesn't want MS to have YouTube on WP or wants MS a company with lots of resources to develop a HTML5 app for free so they can recycle.
 
Unknown-One said:
What's really stupid about the whole thing is Google keeps complaining that Microsoft isn't displaying ads in their app.

Well, the new app did display ads when internal conditions were met. Internal conditions are used because Google still wont give Microsoft the official ad API. Google complained that ads still were still a problem and cut off access...

But get this, that forces a fallback to the mobile site, which NEVER displays ads. Google basically just made the thing they were complaining about worse...
Click to expand...

It displays ads... very rarely.
 
somecallmeTim said:
Agreed.

I actually like my Win8 phone better than any Android phone I've every had. Everything just works. Then again, I don't have 10000 apps installed for every stupid thing, just stuff that's actually useful.

For the most part, I don't even worry about my Win8 phone, unlike when I had an Android based phone I was always worried if it would actually work on a daily basis. Plus, the latest update (pre 8.1) has just about quadrupled my battery life, improved Wi-Fi and GPS, along with a general speed up of the phone.
Click to expand...

You know, after trying (and now using) Win8, I really do think the online mob mentality has once again gotten it wrong lol. I sold my Nexus 7 (2012) specifically b/c it wasn't fitting my needs. Safe to say that in October (when my 2yr is up) that I'll approach this decision with an open mind :p
 
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