Who Wins When Google's YouTube App Leaves Apple Devices?

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Apple(APPL) sucker punched Google(GOOG) again -- at least if you believe a lot of media coverage about the latest turn in the hair-pulling fight between the two Silicon Valley giants.

Apple released a test version of its coming iOS 6 operating system for iPhones and iPads without Google's YouTube app, which has been there from the start and, at least according to some media accounts, left the spurned Google struggling to react. The five-year deal will expire without renewal.

In a headline, Gizmodo referred to Apple "ditching" Google. Computer World deployed the terms "drops" and "dumps" -- again, speaking of Google as the one left standing at the altar.

But did Google want the deal to die too? After all, the ancient agreement (five-years is a literal lifetime in smartphones and tablets) meant the Apple-controlled YouTube app was apparently run passive-aggressively. It was outdated. There were no advertisements.

CNET asked pointedly in a headline: "Who killed YouTube on the iPhone -- Apple or Google?"