I don't think Apple is developing a competitor to Google Voice -- which is probably part of the problem. If they did build a competitor, it really wouldn't matter. Apple could do it better and more seamlessly.
However, what's really happening is that Apple is seeing the writing on the wall. A lot of the core functionality of the phone, like Maps and search, are already provided by Google. Once you add in Google Voice with call management, voicemail, and SMS then suddenly it's not really Apple's phone anymore -- it's Google's.
However, what's really happening is that Apple is seeing the writing on the wall. A lot of the core functionality of the phone, like Maps and search, are already provided by Google. Once you add in Google Voice with call management, voicemail, and SMS then suddenly it's not really Apple's phone anymore -- it's Google's.