Why Google is More Innovating than Apple

In a recent interview with CNBC, Steve Jobs' biographer, Walter Isaacson, said that Google (NASDAQ: GOOG  ) is more innovative than Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) -- clearly a bold statement from someone who spent hours interviewing Jobs and many people from Apple.
While some investors will inevitably disagree, there are three main reasons he's right: wearables, automobiles, and the coming Internet of Things. Google is already strolling down these three avenues, and all of them could propel the company ahead of the iMaker in the not too distant future.
First-mover advantage in wearables
With Google's Glass experiment, the company is one of only a few technology concerns that has produced and released wearable technology. While Glass is still being tested out by "Explorers," Google recently opened up invitations to purchase Glass to those with a Google Play Music All Access account.
While Glass may not appeal to everyone, and has come with plenty of criticism, the device still puts Google ahead of Apple and many other companies looking to make a business out of wearables. Of course Apple is rumored to be working on an iWatch that could release later this year, but that still doesn't make up for the experience Google is gaining tight now through Glass.
Juniper Research expects shipments of smart wearable devices like watches and glasses will hit 130 million by 2018, and spending on the devices could hit $19 billion that same year. While it's difficult to predict exactly how consumers will respond when an iWatch or Glass hits the mass market, the fact is that Google is already making a huge splash in the space and is gaining traction with consumers and developers because of it. When it comes to innovation, tech companies can only get credit for what products they actually have made, and that's why Google wins this category for now.
The other mobile revolutionThough wearables could eventually be a huge industry, there's already one industry that's undergoing a massive technological change right now: automobiles. Car companies are trying to keep up with new technologies, platforms, and apps but the pace of mobile is much faster than a carmaker's product release. To address technology in cars, Google recently announced the Open Automotive Alliance with chipmaker NVIDIA and automakers Honda, Audi, General Motors, and Hyundai to bring its Android platform into vehicles later this year.