Steve Wozniak Wants to See a Google-Apple Alliance

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak is in the news yet again. This time the 63-year-old tech icon is suggesting that, if he was in charge at Apple, he'd push for unprecedented cooperation between that firm and Google.

Wozniak recently made headlines by proclaiming his disinterest in the new 'iPad Air,' the thinner, lighter version of Apple's popular tablet computer. The problem, according to 'Woz': with a maximum storage capacity of 128GB, the Air just can't hold enough data.

Cooperation the Key to Better Hardware, Software

Now, in an interview with the BBC, Wozniak says he'd like to see more cooperation between Apple and Google, two of the tech world's biggest firms.

The advantage of such cooperation, Wozniak said, would be the release of better hardware and software. He pointed to wearable technology as one example of a market that could benefit from more cooperation between two companies. (Source: bbc.co.uk)

Wozniak says he also feels the Google-Apple rivalry has presented legitimate problems for consumers in recent years. In searching for an example he pointed to speech recognition software, like Apple's 'Siri' platform.

"Sometimes I say 'Go to Joe's Diner' and [Siri] doesn't know where Joe's Diner is. And very often usually I find out that Android does," Wozniak said.

Unlike the iPhone, Android devices can access Google's unparalleled search engine.

"That is actually the future of intelligence probably for computers getting smarter and getting artificial intelligence," Wozniak said. "I wish to God that Apple and Google were partners in the future."

Google-Apple Alliance Unlikely, Woz Admits

But Wozniak acknowledges that it's unlikely the two firms' top executives will start 'FaceTiming' any day soon.

Asked about the likelihood of a Google-Apple alliance, Wozniak said "I don't know. If I were there, it would be pretty likely. I'm probably wrong, there's probably an awful lot I don't know about the business concerns and one thing you've got to remember is a company has always got to make money." (Source: cnet.com)

But a man can dream, can't he?

"I wish everybody just did a lot of cross-licensing and sharing the good technology, all our products would be better, we'd go further," Wozniak lamented. "I do wish they were more compatible."