Based on recent activity, including the recent acquisitions of mobile ad networks AdMob (acquired by Google) and Quattro Wireless (acquired by Apple), tech giants Apple and Google have their checkbooks out and are ready to spend on innovative startups. This is especially true for the mobile space, where the companies are becoming increasingly heated rivals (although Apple seems to be pretty far ahead so far with the iPhone and related products/services). As Connie Guglielmo of Bloomberg/BusinessWeek points out in this excellent piece on the rivalry (Apple Steps Up Pace of Deals in Race for Startups), Apple in particular tends to seek out smaller startups that present less of a challenge on the integration front. This growing rivalry could certainly mean big opportunity for innovative tech entrepreneurs, especially those who run lean, flexible organizations in the mobile sector. Who knows, it may even prompt a more wide-spread buying spree among companies trying to keep up.
