The War Between Apple and Google Has Just Begun

Consumers are witnessing the beginning of a new war between computer companies. Instead of the Apple-Microsoft conflict of the early 1980s, this fight is taking place between Apple and Google. The latest skirmish: BusinessWeek reported Wednesday that Apple is in talks with Microsoft to make Bing the default search engine on the iPhone's Safari Web browser. The article said the two companies have been negotiating for weeks over a possible partnership on the iPhone.

Apple and Google weren't always "frenemies." The companies seemed to band together against any number of competitors, Microsoft's Windows Mobile included, in 2007 when Apple's iPhone launched with numerous Google applications built in, including GMail, the Google search engine and Google Maps. But the friendship turned sour last year during a conflict over the Google Voice application and Apple's refusal to allow the software into the iTunes App store.