Google’s Eric Schmidt: Apple Siri Poses “Competitive Threat”

Google's chairman looks to be proclaiming Google's humility by asserting Apple's “competitive threat”. Apple Insider reports Eric Schmidt responded to questions from the senators after a hearing in September. Schmidt writes “even in the few weeks since the hearing, Apple has launched an entirely new approach to search technology with Siri, its voice-activated search and task-completion service built into the iPhone 4S”. When addressing his previous statement in September 2010 where he denies Apple and Facebook were a “competitive threat”, Schmidt goes on to say “my statement was clearly wrong… Apple's Siri is a significant development– a voice-activated means of accessing answers through iPhones that demonstrates the innovations in search”.

While it sounds like Google is concerned about Siri, one should look at Schmidt's concern/comments more carefully. Apple has constantly pointed out Google & Android manufacturers have attained basic framework from Apple directly. Schmidt has to be on the defensive by arguing they have talented engineers and creative minds as the foundation of Android's success— which cannot be disputed. Considering Google has acquired Motorola Mobility and consistently been on top of the smartphone OS market share for some time now, Apple and Co. have every incentive to lobby senators to investigate Google's practices. Schmidt is simply using defense to play offense. In stressing Apple's threat to Google's core business with Siri's introduction, Schmidt has now encouraged the senators to think of Apple's threat to not just Google, but other perhaps other search products such as Yahoo! and Bing.

We all know Android's head honcho Andy Rubin's feelings about Siri. Let us know what you think about Siri and if you agree with Schmidt's thoughts in the Comments section below.