Apple vs. Google vs. Facebook vs. Amazon

The big four in terms of technology giants Apple, Google, Facebook, and Amazon seem to be on a collision course with each other.  At one point in time, their wares were virtually separate but now they clearly infringe upon each other turfs.When I see these four names, I can't help but think of companies that may have been apart of this illustrious group of tech titans in years past.  Names such as Microsoft, Yahoo, AOL, and even IBM.  Did I miss any?  The landscape of technology is ever-changing.  Makes you wonder what the big four will look like in 5 or even 10 years from today?This WSJ article takes a look at the lines being drawn at the aforementioned companies specifically in the areas of search and hardware where the lines become very blurred between them.

• Software giants including Google and Amazon are interested in ramping up hardware to boost customer loyalty and to extend control over their software services and the revenues that flow from them. That is heightening their collision course with Apple, which is responding by building more of its own software to make its devices stand out.
• Google, with the $12.5 billion purchase of Motorola Mobility under its belt, plans to use the phone maker to release new Android devices to help knock Apple's iPhone off its perch. And Amazon, which has upped the ante in the tablet wars with the Kindle Fire, has also been testing its own phone.
• Meanwhile, all four companies see search as a big opportunity for retaining and profiting off customers. While Google's paradigm of typing queries in a search box has prevailed for years, now its rivals want to undercut the Web-search giant through mobile search on smartphones and other devices, and a slew of search services that allow recommendations from friends.