How Apple and Google Went to War and Started a Media Revolution

The first iPhone Steve Jobs showed off back in 2007, at the annual Macworld convention, was a barely working prototype. In fact, the device was so buggy and glitch-prone that Apple’s engineers didn’t believe Jobs could make it through his onstage demonstration without suffering an embarrassing crash. The demo iPhone that Jobs carried in his jeans pocket was nearly incapable of holding a wireless signal—so much so that engineers preprogrammed the indicator to always show five bars (full strength) and set up a portable cell tower backstage. There was good reason for not allowing the assembled tech scribes to actually touch one of the “revolutionary” new devices.

Jobs, of course, made it through the unveiling with characteristic aplomb. And the iPhone went on to become the yardstick by which every other mobile device is measured. But its success also made enemies of former friends. Relying on interviews with key players and former employees, Vogelstein painstakingly recounts how Apple and Google went from being close partners in the iPhone’s launch (the first iPhone prominently featured Google’s search engine and its Maps application) to bitter rivals. It turns out that Google, whose former CEO was then sitting on Apple’s board, had been secretly working on its Android mobile software, even as the iPhone was in development. That, apparently, came as a surprise to the Google employees who were working on iPhone-destined software apps, and to Jobs himself. In a biography released after his death, Jobs described Google’s actions as “grand theft” and vowed to “go thermonuclear” on the search giant, kicking off a flurry of patent-infringement lawsuits against Android handset makers.

Apple’s response was the iPad. If Google planned to put its software on every non-Apple phone, Apple would simply create more devices free from Google’s reach. The iPad also opened up new doors. For the first time, consumers had a mobile device that made it easy to read books and magazines and watch movies and television shows. Increasingly, Vogelstein argues, Apple and Google are no longer fighting over smartphones and tablets. It’s a battle for the future of all media.

Suicide bomb attack on Kabul restaurant 'kills 14'

• Two Canadians killed in Kabul attack 
• Lebanese owner died defending Kabul restaurant

At least 14 people have been killed in a suicide bomb and gun attack on a restaurant popular with foreigners in the Afghan capital, officials say.

Foreigners, including an IMF representative from Lebanon and a Briton, were also among those killed in Kabul's Wazir Akbar Khan neighbourhood.

The area is home to a number of foreign embassies and organisations - the UN said four of its staff were missing.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack on the Taverna du Liban.

The restaurant is popular with foreign nationals, diplomats and aid workers, and was busy with diners at the time of the attack.

A suicide attacker detonated his explosives outside the gate of the heavily-fortified restaurant, Deputy Interior Minister Mohammad Ayoub Salangi said.

Two gunmen then entered the restaurant and started "indiscriminately killing" people inside.

Mr Salangi said four women were among the dead.

The UK Foreign Office (FCO) confirmed that a British national was among those killed in the incident and that it was ready to provide consular assistance to the person's family.

International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde later said Wabel Abdallah - the head of the fund's Afghanistan office - was among those who died.

"This is tragic news, and we at the fund are all devastated," Ms Lagarde said in a statement.

Abdul Majid, a chef at the restaurant, told AFP news agency that he was sitting with his friends "in the kitchen when an explosion happened and smoke filled the kitchen".

"A man came inside shouting and he started shooting. One of my colleagues was shot and fell down. I ran to the roof and threw myself to the neighbouring property."

Taliban claim

The well-known owner of the restaurant was also among those killed.

The attackers were eventually shot dead by the security forces when they arrived at the scene.

The BBC's Mahfouz Zubaide heard the blast and gunfire from at least two kilometres away. He said the gunfire went on sporadically for about 10 minutes.

Several hours later, UN officials in Kabul said four of its personnel, who may have been in the area at the time, were still unaccounted for.

"The UN is making efforts to clarify the status of its personnel," spokesman Ari Gaitanis told AFP.

The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it had been deliberately targeting foreign officials.

Security continues to be a major concern in Afghanistan. The last remaining contingent of Nato-led forces is due to leave by the end of the year, having handed over security to Afghan forces.

Washington is pushing Afghan President Hamid Karzai to sign an agreement which would allow some US troops to stay behind after this year's withdrawal.

The Taliban told the BBC's John Simpson earlier this week that it was now back in control of large areas of Afghanistan and was confident of returning to power after Western troops left.

Our correspondent says it is hard to believe the Taliban could make a comeback as things stand, but their takeover of Kabul in 1996 was unexpected, and they could be strengthened if a weak, corrupt president is elected in April.