This is a summary review of Dogfight containing key details about the book.

What is Dogfight About?

“Dogfight” by Fred Vogelstein provides a behind-the-scenes look at the intense competition between Apple and Google in the smartphone market. (Full Summary…)

Dogfight Summary Review

“Dogfight: How Apple and Google Went to War and Started a Revolution” by Fred Vogelstein offers an insightful exploration of the intense rivalry between two tech giants, Apple and Google, and its profound impact on the technology landscape. Vogelstein, drawing from over a decade of reporting and rare access to major players in both companies, takes readers into the boardrooms, offices, and legal battles that have shaped the evolution of smartphones and tablets.

The book unfolds as a vivid nonfiction narrative, providing readers with never-before-heard details about the fierce competition between Apple and Google. At the heart of this dogfight are the contrasting philosophies, leaders, and commercial strategies of the two companies, particularly embodied by Steve Jobs, Apple’s iconic CEO, and Eric Schmidt, Google’s executive chairman.

Vogelstein delves into the ruthless business tactics employed by both Apple and Google, from poaching each other’s employees to bidding up the prices of acquisitions out of spite. The narrative skillfully weaves through the intricacies of major product launches, deals, lawsuits, and alliances with other industry players like Facebook and Microsoft. The author underscores the magnitude of the battle, not just in the mobile marketplace but also in the courts and on screens worldwide.

The storytelling approach employed by Vogelstein transforms the book into an engaging narrative that reads like a novel, making it accessible even to readers who may not have a deep technical background. It is not merely a chronicle of product development but an exploration of the personalities, egos, and corporate machinations behind the scenes.

One notable aspect of the book is its relevance beyond the tech industry. Vogelstein manages to make the subject matter universally appealing by addressing broader themes such as corporate strategy, competition, innovation, and the future of media and the Internet. The author’s ability to capture the human side of the technology business, portraying the characters involved as individuals with their own strengths, flaws, and motivations, adds a layer of depth to the narrative.

While the book maintains a compelling pace and offers valuable insights into the evolution of smartphones and tablets, it also touches on significant issues within the tech industry, such as patent wars and the questionable efficacy of certain patents. It explores the convergence and divergence of Apple and Google as their businesses matured and changed, making it a comprehensive account of the forces at play in Silicon Valley.

Essentially, “Dogfight” serves as an engaging and informative resource for readers interested in the dynamic history of the technology industry, especially the transformative era marked by the rise of smartphones and tablets. Fred Vogelstein’s narrative prowess and in-depth reporting make this book a recommended read for those seeking a nuanced understanding of the strategic battles that have shaped the modern tech landscape.

Who is the author of Dogfight?

Fred Vogelstein is a bestselling author. He studied political science at Pomona College in Los Angeles. He pursued a year-long program at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business as a Knight-Bagehot Fellow.

How long is Dogfight?

• Print length: 272 pages

What genre is Dogfight?

Business, Nonfiction, Technology

What are good quotes from Dogfight?

“When Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, Michael Dell had declared he had so little faith in an Apple recovery that if he were Jobs, he’d “shut Apple down and give the money back to the shareholders.”

“Internet media networks are proving that the money no longer has to come from cable subscribers. Netflix didn’t originate House of Cards. Independent studio Media Rights Capital took bids from a handful of networks, including HBO, Showtime, and AMC (where you can see Mad Men). Netflix outbid them all.”

“In many ways what is happening now is what media, communications, and software moguls have been predicting for a generation: The fruits of Silicon Valley’s labor and those of New York and Hollywood are converging.”

“Rubin and those on down had the additional frustration of watching Jobs, in their view, wrongly take credit for innovations that were not his or Apple’s. Jobs was an amazing innovator who had an unparalleled sense for when to release a product, how to design the hardware and the software, and how to make consumers lust after it. No one else comes close to his record of doing this again and again. It was genius. But he didn’t invent most of the technology in the iPhone. What made Jobs so successful is that he never wanted to be first at anything. Business and technology history is littered with inventors who never made a dime off their inventions. Jobs understood that a multiyear gap always exists between when something is discovered and when it becomes viable as a consumer product.”

“the iPhone alone generates more revenue for Apple than the entire Microsoft Corporation does.”

“For Jobs, it was the final straw. He had told Google that if it included multitouch on its phones, he would sue, and true to his word he sued the Nexus One maker, HTC,”

“On top of all this was the growing customer dissatisfaction with the iPhone’s U.S. network operator, AT&T. AT&T had been unable to handle the explosion of traffic the iPhone caused on its network, and by 2010 its customers had become furious and vocal about it.”

“The iPod and iTunes changed the way people bought and listened to music. The iPhone changed what people could expect from their cell phones. But the iPad was turning five industries upside down. It was changing the way consumers bought and read books, newspapers, and magazines. And it was changing the way they watched movies and television. Revenues from these businesses totaled about $250 billion, or about 2 percent of the GDP.”

“if you add up the cash on the balance sheets of Apple, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook, and Netflix, it approaches $300 billion—enough to buy all the big cable companies and broadcast networks combined.”

“While most high-tech executives struggled to adapt to a world that was in constant flux, Jobs had never faltered in his belief that consumers would gravitate to the best designed and most beautiful products.”