Google vs. Microsoft

I completely disagree with the idea that Google will be "taken out" by Microsoft. I do agree that Microsoft has a lot of money and can do pretty much whatever they want, but I think they've waited too long and left Google alone for longer than they should have....

Google, in my opinion, is THE only company out there right now which has the potential to cut Microsoft's stock price in half. Everyone always talks about how much money Microsoft has, but all that money is based on one thing... their operating system. If Microsoft all of a sudden lost significant OS market share, their entire business strategy (which is based on the monopoly they have with their OS) would be down the toilet.

Windows 2000 was the last release of Windows with a significant improvement in functionality and stability and such. They no longer have anything significant to sell people. Open source software is continuing to improve and is getting close to being a competitive product to the Windows/Office solution...

All of this together, means one thing. If Google doesn't sit around and wait for Microsoft to come invade their search market and instead makes a BOLD move at attempting to break the operating system market, I can promise you that Microsoft's focus (and money) will quickly shift from their search engine to defending their OS. Unlike all the other companies which have tried to enter the OS market, Google has one distinct advantage... their marketing ability... they currently have the attention of a large percentage of people on earth and could use that to hit Microsoft where it hurts.

I'm not suggesting that Google is going to create, from scratch, a "GoogleOS", but instead, they could very easily create a "Google" Linux distribution which, could be used by MILLIONS of home users for free. I don't mean anything fancy... just free OS, Office applications, Web browser and Email system... all of which are currently available under Linux but haven't been packaged or marketed the way they possibly could. All Google would need to do is put a little work into the UI to brand it as their own and then use their marketing power to push it.

It doesn't matter how many new Wizards or desktop backgrounds Microsoft adds to Vista. It will essentially be the same product... which, in my opinion, won't cut it.

Google is a smart company and knows Microsoft is coming for them. I think Google could (and probably will) do serious damage to Microsoft.

 

Just a little point. Any Linux, no matter who releases the distro, hasn't got a chance of succeeding until the support is there in terms of drivers to make things work and user friendliness in terms of installing software. I try Linux every now and again and currently have Suse 10 on my desktop at home. It does the desktop job quite well, but from a general users point of view there are compromises in how easy it is to download and install software programs, and you cannot just buy the latest technogadget at PC world and plug it in and go. There is a reason why MS is on 90% of desktops, and its because it just works, the vast majority of the time anyway.

Andy

 

Totally agreed. But I'm thinking more in terms of those people who could care less about the newest gadget or the latest PC game. The people who want a computer for the internet, email, and word processing. I'd estimate that 30% of home computer users don't need (or want) anything else. That's the market share which Google can take, and once people starting using Linux (or whatever other OS), that's when the support/drivers/software will come for it.

If Google could make an OS package which doesn't let people tinker or toy with settings or allow for spyware or other crap to install, and could give it away for free... they'd have a lot of people signing up. People who want their computer to just work... like their TV.

Google is by no means in a position to take the majority market share from Microsoft, but they are in a position to break Microsoft's monopoly, after which, everyone will benefit from the competition. Microsoft may still come out on top, but at least it will make them invest some of that 50 billion into making better products.

 

I agree 100%. Windows XP and Vista are and will be garbage. They won't offer a huge difference from Windows 2K, and Vista will cost and arm and a leg.

If the CEOs of google are really smart, which the evidence shows they are, they will move into the OS market in order to effectively bring their info to the public. I think Google can crush Microsoft.

 

18 month old post and it was crap then and it's crap now....

The OP is as far off as you can get.

 

Anyone saying that all MS has to bank off of is their OS is out of their gourd.

Have you ever even set foot in an electronics store?

Microsoft has Hardware, Software, Operating Systems - and GASP - even other investments outside of the computer arena.

Microsoft is 1000 times more stable than Google currently. But I do agree that MS has let them take out too much line. Time to tighten the drag on their river rod and start reeling.

Google is a titan, yes. But they need a wider base. This most recent deal with AOL should give you some kind of idea as to how RELIANT on OTHER BUSINESSES Google is. AOL had them over a barrel... AOL!!! If they wouldn't have sank a fat wad of cash into AOL, there would have been a 20% swing in the search market over the course of 24 hours... now they one a very insignificant piece of a COMPETING company.

I don't really care who wins as long as their is money out there for me. They can both fight until they self destruct for all I care. Both are greedy, control happy organizations that operate solely to overtake, destroy, and become larger themselves. It's not about improving search anymore for Google - it's about profiting from their branding. Google used to have some vision - now money clouds it. Same goes for MS - neither of them are looking out for you or me so who really cares?

 

Sorry to keep this thread going, but... really? Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but according to their last financial statements, Microsoft's profit from Windows Desktop, Windows Server, Office and other productivity products (which are all designed for Windows) was around 19 Billion... However their total profit was somewhere around 15 Billion... which means most of the rest of the crap they do is losing money.

Microsoft is banking on their OS... and if the world switched to Linux tomorrow, Microsoft would be worth about 5% of what they are now. Too bad that's not going to happen...

 

Windows Vista is a what I would call an Windows 3.1 to 95 upgrade. Remember the Best Buy checkout lines? People waited days for 95?

Right now you may judge all you want about Vista but Vista as far as the core platform and security Vista truely is an amazing OS compared to what XP/2000 is/was. I have tested Vista/Longhorn for over 2 years and build 5270 is amazing as UI, Security, Platform API, Developer stuff, IE7, IIS7.

 

when is vista coming out?

 

By the Christmas season of this year

 

No way this is going to happen. Google might be backed by a Sun Microsystems OS which is highly impenetrable in the market. After Java has its own disadvantages or let's say Linux: How many will use Linux? Or do people find it user firendly?

 

Me for one don't find Linux user friendly at all. The closes someone could compete with MS on the OS end I think would be Apple or Linux if Linux was user friendly and had a great developer platform like Windows has. Of course I don't work for MS but I do develop software for Windows and I have tried developing with open source tools and Microsoft's developer tools are the best and TCO is lower as I get things done faster.

There are 2 main reasons why Microsoft for OS is the leader - 1 is it's rich developer platform and 2nd most software runs on Windows only.

 

Google themselves have said: "We believe there is room for multiple winners in the search engine market."

Obviously, they realize that MS will be making inroads into their main market. Google isn't going away any time soon, but can they diversify their offerings as well as MS has? Probably not.

 

Microsoft is getting into other businesses for a few reasons, Linux and Google are going to destroy their market share, but these are just a few things that come to mind....

http://www.webcenter.squarespace.com/100-dollar-linux-pc/

If anyone needs more proof I can provide it, just take your best shots and we will see

 

Microsoft's biggest weapon is their OS ... most of the people use Microsoft's OS...
Some years ago Netscape navigator was the most uses browser & netscape v popular but it just vanished & Internet Explorer replaced it...
the only reason was that Microsoft's OSs had Internet Explorer already installed in it.. & no one would leave IE & buy that expensive netscape browser...
the same goes here, microsoft can replace google in coming years and this time it has Longhorn... and google is preparing for the war... ie. gmail, google earth & more... so lets see wat happens

 

No sorry, that is not the way the story goes....

Microsoft missed the internet entirely, they seen that Netscape was on to something big and they did not even have an internet browser, so they purchased crappy technology (The SpyGlass Browser) and renamed it IE.

Then they used their illegal monopoly power and market share lead to crush Netscape, funny most of the Google executives came from Netscape so the game is not over by any means!

Firefox is by default the Google browser and is cross platform, it is a much better product also and don't count MAC out of the game either, their new boxes are going to be 4 times faster by what Steve Jobs is saying with the new dual Intel Chips!

 

It's business and money. If I was BG, I'll do the same. I cannot see anything wrong if you're selling a product that everybody can use. Sorry not selling, offering for free in the OS. What is wrong with that? If a user doesnt want to use, she/he can use Firefox,Opera or Netscape...

 

It sure is, that is why Linux is going to kick the shit out of Microsoft because the open source community is done purchasing Microsoft products and giving Microsoft business and money!!!

http://www.webcenter.squarespace.com/linux-desktop-plus-search/

 

The problem is that Microsoft has a monopoly. It's fine if they have a browser and it's fine if they give it away for free. The problem came when they bundled it with their OS. By bundling it with their OS, they are using their monopoly to forcefully enter a new market. People didn't choose to use IE because it was the best browser, they chose to use it because it was already installed on their computer.

 

Well what do you think is going to happen when they go to browserless OS

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=browserless+OS&btnG=Google+Search