Okay, so it's not exactly a revelation that there's bad blood between Apple and Google. Steve Jobs once (in)famously threatened to "go thermonuclear" against Google for launching Android, which he viewed as "grand theft" of Apple's iPhone.
Apple has since sued Samsung Electronics, Google's primary Android vendor, alleging design and technology patent infringement. Samsung has countersued.
Outside of the courts, Apple is looking to gain any edge it can against Google. A case in point is the decision to no longer include an app for Google's YouTube, part of the iPhone since its launch in 2007, in Apple's next iOS release. While users will still be able to see YouTube through Safari, this move along with Apple's previous decision to not include Google Maps, is a clear indication that the rift between the two companies is not likely to be repaired.
"Their two ecosystems are pulling away from each other," Carl Howe, an analyst at Yankee Group, told Bloomberg News. "This is two companies agreeing they just don't want to work together anymore."
Analysts seem to be in agreement that Apple's decision will not have a material effect on Google's financial ledger in the near term.
ThinkEquity analyst Ronald Josey, however, said that Apple's recent moves suggest more competitively significant steps in the future.
"The writing's on the wall that when search is up for renewal, there's a significant chance that Google may not be the default," Mr. Josey told Reuters.