Microsoft vs. Google
Wednesday, July 29th, 2009There’s been plenty of analysis and insight into today’s announcement by Yahoo that they are essentially cutting its efforts in the Web search space, and instead forging an alliance with Microsoft to supply all of the search technology for the online portal. (Unfortunately, also probably to great detriment to Yahoo’s Search Marketing operations down here in Southern California, given that they will be using Microsoft AdCenter and not Yahoo in this new world). The most interesting thing to me is it looks like — with Yahoo out of the way — there’s a huge war which will dominate the technology world for many years to come. It’s on a level that will remind folks of Mac vs. PC, Windows versus OS/2, Blu-Ray versus HD-DVD, etc. That is Microsoft versus Google (or Google vs. Microsoft, if you will), where these two will be battling for ownership of not just the web search space, but increasingly in every aspect of your electronic life.
It’s most apparent right now in the web search area, but in reality, it’s a battle for the hearts and minds of consumers and businesses for things like email (Google Apps/Gmail versus Microsoft Outlook/Exchange), productivity applications (Microsoft Word/Powerpoint/Excel versus Google Apps), operating systems (Microsoft Windows versus an entirely Web-based, browser-like existence). In some sense, it’s a battle of the current, defacto world of a PC-based desktop environment (Microsoft Windows + productivity software + back end server systems) compared with a Internet, connected environment (Google Chrome or another browser + search engine + cloud-based email + cloud-based software-as-a-service apps + back end, cloud computing instead of back end servers).
Microsoft is being challenged on lots of fronts by Google, and it’s on the defensive. It’s still got a cash cow in Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office, and lots of momentum in the world which keeps supplying it with capital from those products, but as more and more of the world looks at online options as feasible replacements, the more and more heated this battle will become. It’s going to be an interesting war to watch…

