Google chairman declares victory in Android vs. Apple By Anita Li, Mashable Google chairman Eric Schmidt says Android is dominating Apple's mobile system like Microsoft once dominated the company on PCs. Google chairman Eric Schmidt says Android has beaten Apple Schmidt: "We're winning that pretty clearly now" Android has 72 percent of world mobile market Apple has gained in the U.S. since iPhone 5 release (CNN) -- Google chairman Eric Schmidt has declared Android the winner in its mobile war with Apple. In an interview with Bloomberg, Schmidt said Google's mobile platform is widening its lead over Apple in the mobile-software market. He compared its success to the way Microsoft dominated the iPhone maker in the desktop business two decades ago. "This is a huge platform change; this is of the scale of 20 years ago -- Microsoft versus Apple," he said. We're winning that pretty clearly now. Recent statistics support Schmidt's optimism, with Android capturing 72% of worldwide market share in the third quarter, while Apple took 14% Recent statistics support Schmidt's optimism, with Android capturing 72% of worldwide market share in the third quarter, while Apple took 14%, according to Gartner, which conducts information technology research. Unlike Apple, Google does not make its money on hardware; for this reason, it is willing to give away Android because the OS' widespread use helps the company make more money from ads. "The core strategy is to make a bigger pie," Schmidt said. We will end up with a not perfectly controlled and not perfectly managed bigger pie by virtue of open systems. Despite his confidence, however, other reports suggest that Apple is gaining ground in the U.S. smartphone market, particularly since its release of the iPhone 5. During the interview, Google's chairman also called social-networking service Google+ a "viable competitor to Facebook." Which company do you think is winning the mobile war: Android or Apple?