February 09, 2009

so how much did they pay?

The story behind the Google Sync story is this statement from Microsoft

Earlier today Google announced Google Sync, which is made possible by a patent license they obtained from Microsoft covering Google’s implementation of the Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync protocol on Google servers.

So iPhone 2.0 includes ActiveSync support in the client, which makes it work with every ActiveSync-enabled Exchange and non-Exchange server around the world. iPhone 2.0 also does not allow background applications. Google wants background sync for their calendar and address book applications (and you have to believe that Mail will come soon). Background apps can’t run in 2.0, but ActiveSync support is there, so, of course, they choose ActiveSync. So Apple’s decision re. no background apps benefits Microsoft.

I wonder how much Google is paying for their ActiveSync license. And I wonder how much Apple paid to license ActiveSync for the iPhone. Because there’s a reasonable case to be made that Apple’s license was (or should have been) close to $0. (And if it was actually $0, that would have been the internal kiss off for the WinMo team, dontcha think?)