http://www.cultofmac.com/327491/apple-vs-google-which-has-the-upper-hand-in-innovation/

Apple vs. Google: Which has the upper hand in innovation?

To succeed in tech, you must be a master of innovation. No two companies understand this better than Apple and Google, which have become kings of the industry thanks to a string of incredible ideas that have shaped the technology we rely on today.

But which company is continuing to innovate in 2015? Is it Apple, with its fitness-focused Apple Watch, Apple Pay, and a new streaming service that hopes to save the music industry? Or is it Google, with Google Glass, self-driving cars, and secret robots?

Join us as we take it to a debate in this week’s Friday Night Fight between Cult of Android and Cult of Mac.

Killian Bell (Cult of Android): It’s Friday, Friday, gotta get fighting on Friday. Everybody’s lookin’ forward to the weekend, weekend, Friday, Friday. Gettin’ down on Friday, everybody’s lookin’ forward to Friday… Night Fights!

So, this week’s battle is about innovation. Many (mostly Android fans) have criticized Apple for not innovating enough in recent years, and I tend to think it’s difficult to argue with that. What would you say to those critics, Luke?

Luke Dormehl (Cult of Mac): Ugh. If it isn’t the Rebecca Black of Cult of Android. I do give you credit for coming back for your weekly ass-whooping, though.

If I read you correctly, Killian, you’re seriously arguing that Google out-innovates Apple. Look, I’m all for Google’s innovations. In some ways, Google is the Xerox PARC of the 2000s: a place with some incredibly smart people, enormous scope of research, a massive budget, and — most importantly — no pressing need to turn any of its bright ideas into immediate products.

From Google Glass to self-driving cars to ways of tracking the spread of epidemics through search results, Google is great at generating massive tech headlines. But innovation’s about more than just throwing ideas at the wall and seeing what sticks.

The difference between Apple and Google is that Apple’s innovations come out polished and ready to change the world — not glorified betas the company loses interest in after the first wave of excitement wears off.