From Steve Jobs' Biography: "I'm going to destroy Android" - MacRumors
Skip to Content

From Steve Jobs' Biography: "I'm going to destroy Android"

stevejobscovertiteled
The Associated Press obtained an early copy of Walter Isaacson's Steve Jobs biography and shared some highlights.

In particular, they share Steve Jobs' reaction to HTC's 2010 introduction of an Android phone that shared many features of the iPhone. Jobs told Isaacson that Google's actions amounted to "grand theft."

"I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple's $40 billion in the bank, to right this wrong," Jobs said. "I'm going to destroy Android, because it's a stolen product. I'm willing to go thermonuclear war on this."

Jobs met with Google's Eric Schmidt later and told Schmidt he wasn't interested in settling for any amount of money. Instead Jobs told Schmidt, "I want you to stop using our ideas in Android, that's all I want."

Jobs' attitude against Android helps explains the lawsuits that have come from Apple against both HTC and Samsung. Both legal actions have resulted in countersuits as well as attempts to ban sales of devices around the world.

Popular Stories

MacBook Pro Low Angle Wide Lens

Apple to Launch 'MacBook Ultra' With These Six New Features

Friday April 24, 2026 10:32 am PDT by
While the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro were just updated with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips last month, bigger changes are reportedly around the corner. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the higher-end MacBook Pro models will be receiving a major redesign by early 2027, and he said that Apple might use "MacBook Ultra" branding for them. If so, the MacBook Ultra would likely be a...
Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

This Is What the iPhone 18 Pro Looks Like

Saturday April 25, 2026 10:00 am PDT by
A recent leak provides our best look yet at the design of Apple's upcoming iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max models. Leaker Sonny Dickson recently shared images of the first iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and foldable iPhone dummy models. The images largely conform with rumors about the designs of the three devices and provide the first real visual confirmation of how they will look. ...
app store monthly sub commitment

Apple Introduces App Store Monthly Subscriptions With 12-Month Commitment

Monday April 27, 2026 12:52 pm PDT by
Apple today announced the launch of a new subscription option for App Store developers: monthly subscriptions with a 12-month commitment. The new option allows developers to offer subscribers discounted pricing typically associated with an annual subscription but paid on a monthly basis to keep payments more affordable. This new payment option allows you to offer subscribers more affordable...

Top Rated Comments

guch20 Avatar
190 months ago
Good. That's exactly the attitude Apple should continue to have about Android with Steve gone. It's a cheap knock-off of a beautiful product that took no imagination to copy.
Score: 155 Votes (Like | Disagree)
190 months ago
He's definitely passionate about protecting his company's ideas...
Score: 123 Votes (Like | Disagree)
guch20 Avatar
190 months ago
Wow, what a jerk. Jobs truly is evil.

Yeah, wanting to stop a cheap, utilitarian, "just-barely-good-enough", glitchy, buggy, virus-ridden copy of something your company spent years and millions of dollars on...what a total dick.

/sarcasm
Score: 81 Votes (Like | Disagree)
190 months ago
He could have killed android if he allowed flash and made a new design instead of the iphone 4s. Not that it isn't a great phone, but it could have beat android in so many ways.

It could have? I think IOS is already beating the android
Score: 77 Votes (Like | Disagree)
guch20 Avatar
190 months ago
He could have killed android if he allowed flash and made a new design instead of the iphone 4s. Not that it isn't a great phone, but it could have beat android in so many ways.
Yeah, God knows if Apple took the same exact insides from the iPhone 4S, but put them in a new shell, Android would be all like "No!!!1! We're gonna stop copying now! Bummer dude!! Weaksauce forever!!!" :rolleyes:

And Flash? Really? Does anyone really miss Flash on their iPhone or iPad? I don't. First, my battery lasts longer without it. Second, my device isn't chugging to load that crap. Third, it's a virus portal that I don't have to worry about. And fourth, Flash barely works on a lot of mobile devices anyway.
Score: 75 Votes (Like | Disagree)
190 months ago
He could have killed android if he allowed flash and made a new design instead of the iphone 4s. Not that it isn't a great phone, but it could have beat android in so many ways.

I just lost some braincells reading this.
Score: 73 Votes (Like | Disagree)