Microsoft vs. Google

I'm still a bit intrigued by the Chrome OS announcement. MS and Google are trading salvos.

Chrome is a shot across the MS bow, but Bing is a shot across Google's bow.  And watch out: Bing has some things going for it.

Pogue, in his initial NYT column on bing, has this conclusion: "Here’s the shocker, though: in many ways, Bing is better."

This is a very interesting site that allows you to enter a search term and then watch Bing and Google side-by-side. Check out some of the interesting Bing features: the site list that appears in the left column for example.  Also check out how Bing does the image search: instead of making you click on "next" it simply keeps appending thumbnails to the bottom.

Bing has got to be unsettling for Google.  Bing doesn't appear to the be the Zune.  The Zune, recall, is MS's attempt to run down the iPod, but has lagged behind the iPod in terms of overall functionality and value. One might expect Bing to fall into the same category, but it looks as if it might be stronger in its line of work than the Zune.

However many irons Google might have in the IT fire, search is bread and butter, so this Microsoft creature really goes to the foundation of things. Overall I think it's good. Perhaps not so many of us are fans of Microsoft, but it's not good when one organization controls or dominates too thoroughly.

Comments

[Joshua Kim]

Agreed that it is all to the good for Google to have some competition in search.

I'm not so sure that Bing will make much difference to us in the learning technology world - unless that is that MS is able to bundle services around Bing as Google is doing.

What about a Bing OS on a Bing branded Netbook - where MS basically gives the netbook away in return for having Bing has the default search engine (with Bing or MS branded online apps)?

The power of Google is the ecosystem....how Google is able to cross-subsidize services (mail, docs, collaboration, apps, storage?)with search advertising.

Microsoft needs to figure out a cross-subsidy model to grow Bing as an ecosystem.

I'm reading Anderson's Free now...so maybe I'm under the influence....but what if MS gave away Bing branded netbooks to college students. (I still argue that MS should buy Microsoft and bundle the services...CMS with apps in the cloud)..but that is a different argument.

[Joshua Kim]

Sorry..I meant to say that "MS should buy Blackboard".

[Malcolm Brown]

Where Chrome OS could hurt MS: Google gives it away (free!). The biggest single expense in buying a Windows netbook is the OS license. If that goes away... well, then, a Chrome netbook is cheaper than a Windows netbook.

Don't forget MS has an eco-system too, both in the cloud and on the desktop/laptop. Huge investments by everyone in Office etc.

If I were a strategist for MS I would consider seriously your suggestion to give away the OS on some platforms. MS has so much cash it could easily afford to.