Dogfight

How Apple and Google Went to War and Started a Revolution

By: Fred Vogelstein

Narrated by: J. P. Demont

Behind the bitter rivalry between Apple and Google - and how it's reshaping the way we think about technology.

The rise of smartphones and tablets has altered the business of making computers. At the center of this change are Apple and Google, two companies whose philosophies, leaders, and commercial acumen have steamrolled the competition. In the age of Android and the iPad, these corporations are locked in a feud that will play out not just in the marketplace but in the courts and on screens around the world.

Fred Vogelstein has reported on this rivalry for more than a decade and has rare access to its major players. In Dogfight, he takes us into the offices and board rooms where company dogma translates into ruthless business; behind outsize personalities like Steve Jobs, Apple's now lionized CEO, and Eric Schmidt, Google's executive chairman; and inside the deals, lawsuits, and allegations that mold the way we communicate. Apple and Google are poaching each other's employees. They bid up the price of each other's acquisitions for spite, and they forge alliances with major players like Facebook and Microsoft in pursuit of market dominance.

Dogfight moves like a novel: Vivid nonfiction with never-before-heard details. This is more than a story about what devices will replace our phones and laptops. It's about who will control the content on those devices and where that content will come from - about the future of media in Silicon Valley, New York, and Hollywood.

©2013 Fred Vogelstein (P)2013 Macmillan Audio

Terrific Insight

Many good interviews provide some unique details on the shifting relationship between these tech giants.

Great book, But Narrator Needs Technical Help

If you could sum up Dogfight in three words, what would they be?

Great history of the war.

Who was your favorite character and why?

N/A

Which scene was your favorite?

The discussion about the engineers during the iPhone introduction.

Any additional comments?

The narrator mispronounces a handful of words. One example is spelling about RIM instead of just saying 'RIM'.

This is a must read for every tech enthusiast!

What made the experience of listening to Dogfight the most enjoyable?

I rarely write any reviews about books I listen to. But this was a great one. The facts and the personalities conveyed in this book are crucial to understand how Apple and Google grew together to become the companies they are now. Some stuff are really fascinating.

Who was your favorite character and why?

This book contains two story lines in my opinion. One is how Apple and Google evolved as companies and the struggles and strategies they underwent. And the other one which to my surprise has won my ears and heart, is the story of how Steve Jobs got along with 1-) Google's Cofounders Sergei and Larry, and how Steve Jobs handled his cancer during that. It shows very clearly that his attitude towards things was shifting back and forth with his illness and how desperate he was.

Have you listened to any of J. P. Demont’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

The narration tone was perfect, accentuated when needed but not over the top. Sometimes the characters' voices got mixed up and in certain conversations didn't know who talked to know (maybe it's due to my poor focus sometimes). But this is my first listen to Demont and I would certainly do it again. Cheers

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Many moments in the book moved me, Apple's pre iPhone release preparations, Apple's iPhone unveiling specifics and how Jobs practiced and how the iPhone was being stitched up for the demo. The relationship fissure between Google and Apple, how Apple and google worked together to get maps up and running.

Any additional comments?

Great book, highly recommended.

well worth reading but not likely to be a classic.

Dogfight is a good book and offers many insights and anecdotes about the smartphone-centered competition for platform control bn Apple and Google. unlikely to be a classic.

Simply Amazing!

After listening to this book, it gives you a new found respect for Google & Apple.

Not going to lie it makes you want Pro Apple which I am but it also makes you want to support Google because this is so much bigger then who has the best phone.

I tip my hat to the author he did an excellent job and the reader was perfect for this book.

Reader wouldn't pronounce iOS correctly

The book was full of interesting details, though the readers mispronunciation of some common technology names was a bit maddening.

3 out of 5

narrator's voice made me want to sleep quite often. sometimes the story was really interesting, but at the end of the book I wished it would end sooner. the book is good for commuting when you've got nothing better.

Great content terrible narrator

The story is very interesting, but the narrator says several tech terms and names wrong. Also the story has a heavy pro-Apple bias for sure

Great book. Lots of information.

This is a great book is very interesting to learn about the two most powerful companies in the last 10 years. It's well worth the time.

it is a must read

great book. loved it. very interesting. it gives one a glimpse on what's actually going on in the sphere of technology where big corporations play their big games affecting the world around us. it is magical.