Apple CEO Steve Jobs thinks Google's television efforts with Google TV are going to fail. At least that's the impression he gave, speaking at All Things Digital's D8 conference when an audience member asked him about TV.

Google unveiled Google TV a couple weeks ago at its developer conference, Google I/O. The company brought along launch partners Intel, Adobe, Sony, Best Buy, Logitech, and DISH Network for the ride. Watching the presentation (though fraught with technical difficulties related to connectivity), I have to say they made a pretty convincing case for Google TV, despite the lack of mainstream success for other connected TV products.

Google TV is the platform, but will launch on Sony TVs and Blu-ray players, a Logitech set-top box, and through DISH Network's HD DVR boxes. Jobs says nobody's willing to buy another set-top box.

"The problem with innovation in the television industry is the go-to-market strategy - the television industry fundamentally has a subsidized business model that gives everybody a set-top box for free or for ten dollars a month and that pretty much squashes any opportunity for innovation because nobody's willing to buy a set-top box. Ask TiVo. Ask Replay TV, Ask Roku. Ask Vudu. Ask us. Ask Google in a few months...Sony's tried as well. Panasonic's tried. They've all failed."

While Jobs' comments appear to be a jab at Google (he certainly has every right to make jabs, considering how many Google took at Apple at I/O), but by this logic, it's really Logitech's product that would fail. Again, Google TV is the platform, which will no doubt be available on numerous devices after the initial launch (think about a Netflix streaming-like model, which is doing pretty well). With Sony as a partner, don't be surprised to see Google TV make its way to the Playstation, for example.

Sidenote: Watch our interview from Google I/O with Ashish Arora, the Vice President and General Manager of Logitech Digital Home, about Logitech's role in Google TV here:

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The point is that Google TV will be on a variety of different devices that people will either already have or buy for the whole package. Google TV will just be a feature. DISH Network subscribers will already have boxes. People will already be buying TVs (maybe Google TV as a feature of a Sony TV will be an extra incentive to buy that particular TV). People are already buying Blu-ray players.

With regards to TV, Jobs also said, "I'm sure smarter people than us will figure this out." Watch the video here at All Things Digital to see Jobs' entire response to the TV question (which is really more about Apple's outlook for the space than Google's product of course). They also have a clip of Jobs talking about Apple's relationship with Google. The most memorable quote from that is, "Just because we're competing with somebody doesn't mean we have to be rude."

Is Jobs right about Google TV? Do you think it will fail? Share your thoughts.