英文原文

Google spills the beans on Apple
"Contrary to published reports," Apple (AAPL) told the FCC back in August in response to a government inquiry about why it rejected Google's (GOOG) famous voice management app. "Apple has not rejected the Google Voice application, and continues to study it.”

What Google had to say about that was unknown because unlike Apple, which made public its response, Google asked that key portions of its letter to the FCC be kept confidential to protect "sensitive commercial conversations" between the two companies.

Now Google has spilled the beans. In a blog post Friday, Google attorney Richard Whitt announced that rather than fight several Freedom of Information Act requests, the company asked the FCC on Thursday to release the unredacted version of its letter.

You can read the full letter on the FCC's website, but the thrust of the previously undisclosed passages is that Apple's top marketing executive personally told Google that its app had been rejected. The key section is this one:

"The primary points of contact between the two companies were Alan Eustace, Google Senior Vice President of Engineer & Research, and Phil Schiller, Apple Senior President of Worldwide Product Marketing. On July 7, Mr. Eustace and Mr. Schiller spoke over the phone. It was during this call that Mr. Schiller informed Mr. Eustace that Apple was rejecting the Google Voice application for the reasons described in 2(a)."

[The reason offered in 2(a): "because Apple believed the application duplicated the core dialing functionality of the iPhone."]

Not only does Google's version of events flatly contradict Apple's, but its letter provides names and dates that could presumably be supported by phone records.

For what it's worth, Google's letter also supports the version promulgated by TechCrunch's Michael Arrington, who, citing sources at Google, had pronounced Apple's public response "untrue," "misleading," and "a total lie."

In response to a request for comment about the specific passage quoted above, Apple spokesperson Steve Dowling replied instead: "We do not agree with all of the statements made by Google in its letter. Apple has not rejected the Google Voice application. We continue to discuss it with Google."

Dowling declined to specify which statements the company does or or doesn't agree with.

中文翻译

今年八月，美国政府调查苹果（Apple）为何拒绝谷歌（Google）著名的语音管理应用软件，作为回应，苹果向联邦通信委员会（FCC）表示：“与公布的报道相反的是，苹果并未拒绝谷歌语音（Google Voice）这项应用，而是继续在对其进行研究。”

谷歌对此事的看法当时不详，因为与苹果公开回应不同的是，谷歌要求对其致联邦通信委员会信件的关键部分保密，以保护两家公司间“敏感的商业对话”。

现在谷歌泄露了秘密。在上周五的博文中，谷歌律师理查德•惠特（Richard Whitt）宣布，谷歌没有反对数项《信息自由法案》（Freedom of Information Act）要求，而是于上周四请求联邦通信委员会公布其信件的未编辑版。

你可在联邦通信委员会的网站上阅读完整的信件，但此前未公开段落的要点是，苹果顶级营销高管亲自告知谷歌其应用已被拒绝。关键部分如下：

“两家公司间主要的联络人是谷歌工程与研究（Engineer & Research）资深副总裁艾伦•尤斯塔斯（Alan Eustace）与苹果全球产品营销资深副总裁菲尔•席勒（Phil Schiller）。7月7日，尤斯塔斯先生曾与席勒先生通话。在电话中，席勒先生告知尤斯塔斯先生苹果因2(a)中描述的原因拒绝谷歌语音应用。”

[2(a)中提供的原因如下：“因为苹果认为该应用复制了iPhone核心的拨号功能。”]

谷歌对事件的描述与苹果的完全相反，不仅如此，其信中还给出了人名和时间，估计谷歌还有电话记录支持其说法。

顺便提一句，谷歌的信件也支持了TechCrunch的迈克尔•阿林顿（Michael Arrington）说法，阿林顿援引谷歌内部知情人士提供的信息，称苹果的公开回应“失实”、“使人误解”以及“完全是谎言”。

苹果发言人史蒂夫•道林（Steve Dowling）被请求对上面引用的具体段落置评，然而道林对此的回应却是：“我们不同意谷歌在其信件中所做的全部陈述。苹果没有拒绝谷歌语音应用。我们继续与谷歌讨论该应用。”

道林拒绝具体说明苹果同意或不同意谷歌的哪些陈述。