On the one hand, it's somewhat laughable to think that Apple would be afraid of anybody. In less than three years, the iPhone has redefined the smartphone market. Whereas we used to view smartphones as basic phones with e-mail and Web capability, the iPhone has expanded our thinking tremendously. Today's smartphones are full-on application platforms that are rewriting what we can get done while we're on the go. Apple's been at the forefront of this transition, and its continued growth on all fronts -- unit sales, revenue, and platform expansion, among other metrics -- should be enough to inspire confidence in Cupertino that it can easily weather any potential challenger.

Is Apple afraid of Google?