Google Inc. (GOOG) Will Be the Next Apple Inc. (AAPL)?

As Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) stock passed the never-before-reached $800-per-share milestone Tuesday, there has been some comparisons mentioned between Google at $800 and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) when it hit 700 a share last fall. Kevin Landis, CEO of Firsthand Technology Funds, which owns significant stakes in both companies, took to CNBC Tuesday to discuss Google and where it might be going from here, now that it’s achieved an all-time high.

“It certainly is interesting to watch,” Landis said. “Anytime you see a stock reach an all-time high, you have the good feelings and all that. But really, the question you have to ask yourself is, What has Google done the last few years to make itself worth more? And I think it all comes down to Android. In the mobile handset space it is pretty much down to a two-horse race, that being Apple and Android.”

When asked about beig able to monetize Android, which Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) has not been able to reach full potential with, Landis said, “If you look back Google three, five, seven years ago, it was this amazing cash cow from paid search, and then it had all these experiments – Google Earth, Google Mail and everything else. They knew they had the luxury of trying a lot of new things to see what would work. At this point it’s Android and iOS, and everyone knows that at some point they’re going to make some money on this. You can’t quite weigh it just yet, but this is Coke and Pepsi now, so it’s a question now of how much and when, not if.”

Landis said that Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) likely wouldn’t be here without the work of Samsung in the smartphone space. “Right now they owe a great deal to their ‘frenemy,’ Samsung,” he said. “HTC has really stumbled, but Samsung has taken off and it is pretty much the standard-bearer for Android right now. Samsung is really making great phones and it is giving Apple a run for its money.”

And what about the talk of Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) establishing a chain of retail stores, like Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) have done in the past?

Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) was rumored to be opening retail stores, but that opening has been delayed until the summer. But with Apple Store success and the Microsoft Windows Stores having mixed results, is a Google retail store a sensible next step, and will it work? “Following someone else’s good idea that has demonstrated to work, it is not a bad idea to do that. But if it turns out that Google Stores are a dud, that’s not the end of the world either,” Landis said. “It worked for Apple, so why not try it?”

Landis then closed his interview with CNBC by addressing the need to monetize Android going forward, and whether that should be a priority. “First of all, if you don’t think they can monetize Android, then what are you doing paying this much for this stock?” he said. “This is the lesson from technology, over and over again through the decades: Once you’ve got presence and you’ve got maket share, there are lots of different ways you can monetize it. I think there are ways that Google can make a buck there.”

What do you think? Is Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) still heading up, or is it due for an Apple-like correction with its stock price? We’d love your thoughts in the comments section below.

DISCLOSURE: I own no positions in any stock mentioned.

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