Google and Apple are competing to provide consumers with the best possible app that will turn smartphones into measure tapes. Image of the app, Measure, used to determine the height of a table, the size appeared in the black space with white writing in the middle of the blue line. (Image via Google)
For many, Apple must be compared to Samsung since the two companies seem to be ruling the universe of smartphones. However, there is a lot more to Apple than just the phones. Apple has been leading in terms of trendy innovations for a few years now. As a matter of fact, Chris Mills reported in an article on BGR (Boy Genius Report) that BrandZ classified Apple as the most valuable brand in 2013; therefore trumping Coca-Cola which held the title since 2000. But this year, BrandZ reported that it is Google that is taking the throne from Apple. To evaluate and compare the value of the brands Google and Apple, BrandZ compiled financial data collected from Bloomberg and Kantar Millward Brown. The results showed that Google outperformed Apple last year and brought the worth of the brand to more than $302 billion while Apple fell right behind with just about $300 billion, with Coca-Cola being on the fourteenth position further behind. On the one hand, this should not come as a surprise for Coca-Cola given the increase of health campaigns suggesting that the brand might not be healthy. On the other hand, nobody foresaw Google outperforming Apple, and the culprit could be the company’s recent app “Measure.”
When it comes to innovation, there are two sides: those who think innovation means brainstorming and offering new ideas even if those ideas don’t always become a reality, and the opposing side that believes that innovation means ideas that work. For the latter group of people, it is better to take time to perfect an idea before talking about it to the consumers than sharing every new idea but not developing most of them. Google, now considered the most valuable brand, presented its fans with many possible products this year, increase the awareness people have of the brand, and it doesn’t help that Apple hasn’t presented any new major breakthrough this year. Now, both companies are taking interest in AR AND tape measure in particular.
Last year Google launched an app called Measure which used Augmented Reality to tell more or less accurately, the measures of the object the phone’s camera is directed to. When it was first launched Measure could only work on Google AR platform Tango and the phones that supported the platform. This year Google announced that the app was updated and could now be used with all the phones that supported the ARCore in general. It is hard not to notice that Google made all the changes it announced after Apple also announced it has a similar app that will be available with the next software upgrade iOS 12. Talking about innovation race, there is no doubt both Google and Apple are aware of the importance of winning this race. Google may have been very cautious with its initial release, but it feels as if this year, the company is opening up to possibilities. With Google Measure being available on ARCore, Google is offering the opportunity to AR developers to create more applications that will use AR; therefore, increasing the number of AR apps available on Google market.
Now the real question for smartphones users is which app is more accurate as if they will have much choice as to which one to use. It seems clear that Apple made its “Measure” for iOS devices while Google is focusing on devices that utilize google marketplace. Nonetheless, David Murphy reported in an article on LifeHacker.com, after testing both apps on various objects from a drinking glass, a stuffed animal, a wall mirror to an IKEA furniture, that Apple’s Measure app offered a better experience than Google’s. According to him, Apple’s Measure was accurate most of the time while Google’s Measure exaggerated the dimensions most of the time. Murphy also felt that Apple’s Measure was a lot easier to use than Google’s. Unless many more people test both apps, the world will never know which company is truly winning.
See more news at: