Apple, Google to team up for video downloads?
Channel surfers with Apple's iTV device might be able to get video from Google as well as the iTunes store, according to a report in Newsweek.
Apple plans to introduce next year a wireless networking device called iTV that will plug into a television and access movies and video stored on a Mac or PC. New videos could also be purchased through a link to the iTunes store, and now Google's video service might also be a part of Apple's offerings, according to the report, which quoted Marissa Mayer, Google's vice president of search products and user experience.
Google Video has everything from backyard wrestling videos to The Charlie Rose Show available on its site. Some videos are free, while others cost up to $1.99, making Google Video a competitor to iTunes. There's been much speculation that the recent appointment of Google CEO Eric Schmidt to Apple's board of directors would lead to a closer working relationship between the two companies, and the iTV linkup could be one of the first examples.
UPDATED - An Apple representative had no immediate comment. Google released a statement reading: "We have a great relationship with Apple and are always excited to see innovation in this field but have nothing to announce at this time."
Tom Krazit writes about the ever-expanding world of Internet search, including Google, Yahoo, online advertising, and portals, as well as the evolution of mobile computing. He has written about traditional PC companies, chip manufacturers, and mobile computers, spending the last three years covering Apple. E-mail Tom.
