Apple & Google, Enemies or Allies? How FaceTime Plays In

Apple strikes with a roundhouse kick the gut! But wait, Google fights right back with an eye gouge and a slap to the face! Apple is stunned but isn't going to give up that easily. What a fight, what a battle; who is going to win, folks? This is the picture much of the media has painted for us, isn't it? That Google and Apple have locked horns and are doomed to a winless war for all eternity. That's not really the case though. Truth is, the war is fought mainly with the media and loyal fans who follow the gossip like it's a WWE match. Yes, the two companies compete with each other on a couple of levels, but at the same time they work incredibly well and profitably together. Based on some recent news, I believe the two have secretly teamed up again in an effort to bring FaceTime to the mainstream for good.

Ok, here's what we know:

1) Apple is hosting an event on Wednesday and at the very least they're probably going to announce a new iPod touch with a front facing camera.

2) iOS 4.1 beta has been out for several weeks and contains an option to make FaceTime calls via e-mail address.

3) Apple from the start has said it plans to make FaceTime an open industry standard, potentially allowing communication with other devices.

4) Google just announced last week the ability to use their Gchat feature for video chats. Gchat, if you're not familiar with it, runs directly through Gmail and uses other user's Gmail address to authorize chats.

When you combine the first three together along with the timing of Google's announcement, it seems just too convent to be just a coincidence. I certainly could be wrong but to me the picture is pretty clear, Apple and Google are going to walk us right into the future and by this time next year, iPhone users and Andriod users will be FaceTiming each other everywhere. Finally the world will be at peace and harmony.