Apple Inc. (AAPL) vs. Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) vs. Google Inc (GOOG): Battle for the Living Room

Third-party app developers showed reasonable support. Netflix was there, of course. However, Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s rush to launch a service before it was ready burned its hardware partners. Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) TV lives on, but the only reason we can’t write off the search star is the success of Android and YouTube. Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s open-source platform is the mobile operating system of choice in the smartphone space, and it’s gaining ground in tablets. As far as YouTube goes, it’s the top dog in video sharing.

So we can’t dismiss Google, and later this year it will update the interface to run on its latest Android and Chrome platforms.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)
The wild card here is Apple.

The Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) TV set-top box has gotten better with every generation, but it’s still not the category killer that the consumer-tech leader has achieved with the iPod, iPad, and iPhone. Things can change with the long-rumored smart television, and CEO Tim Cook reiterated this past week that his company has “incredible interest” in this space. The only real question is whether we will be finally getting a full-blown premium HDTV this holiday shopping season.

There’s plenty riding on this, especially if the Xbox One succeeds as a console that makes any TV a smart television. If so — or if Google TV finally gains traction — the appetite for a smart TV from Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) will diminish substantially. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) knows its back is up against the wall, with margins on its existing products shrinking. Now it’s merely a matter of beating the clock.

The tech battle will be televised
The next few months will be interesting, and couch potatoes will have the best seats in the house.

The article Apple vs. Microsoft vs. Google: Battle for the Living Room originally appeared on Fool.com.

Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz owns shares of Netflix. The Motley Fool recommends Apple, Google, and Netflix and owns shares of Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Netflix.

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