By Phil Dzikiy @phildzikiy ● Thursday, October 11, 2012

Google Chairman Eric Schmidt had plenty to say about Apple in a recently posted interview with AllThingsD. Schmidt said the Android-Apple platform fight is “the defining contest” in the industry right now, mentioning there are “four times more Android phones than Apple phones,” and noting that consumers are benefitting from the companies’ competition.

Schmidt also suggested that Apple should have kept Google’s maps, noting that “They’re better maps,” while mentioning that Apple’s decision to make its own maps was made long ago. He underscored that a new Google Maps app would need Apple’s approval, and that not all Google apps have been approved by Apple in the past.

Among other comments in the interview, Schmidt said the patent wars “are a disaster for all of us.” And when asked if he’d rather be a CEO again, if choosing between Apple, Amazon, and Facebook, he said, “I was on Apple’s board, and I’ll always have a soft spot for them,” ultimately answering the question with, “Which one has the most cash? That would be Apple.”