In just seven years, Google Inc. has morphed from a bare-bones online search engine into a technological octopus that seems to sprout another intriguing tentacle every other week.
Where Might Google Go Next?
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
Follow me on Twitter @EugeniaLoli
When I need to search for something online I use Google. Either a news story, a location, or something I want to purchase.
But I heard Google does not even make more money, in actual revenue, than Yahoo, yet there stock price a higher and more sought after.
What is Google going to do to increase its actual revenue, is my question?
That’s a good question, but maybe the answer is they’re a company not gun-ho on more revenue. Though, I’m sure it has tons to do with that, maybe they’re just small enough to still be enthusiastic about what they do, and let large enough to deploy the great things they do, or can and want to. But hey, maybe that advertising does a lot more than you imagine. People might actually appreciate the ads for all the things Google can provide for them.
google was in red ink for awhile until their ad service was released… it immediately jumped profitability and went public.
Yahoo! offers more products and services for money than google. Google makes money primary from adsense.
Now they are buying companies and making new products to compete more with yahoo!.
I think that is because of the media hype. Yahoo makes more money than Google, has a wider range of products and services and has survived since the dawn of the web.
In a sane world, Yahoo would be worth more on the stock market, so it shows that it has to be because of other reasons. Perhaps the (almost) daily media speculations about Google makes the stock investors think that they may cash in on something Google might do in the future?
Google has lots of cash but, as far as I can tell, it’s basically a one trick pony. Yes they’ve released a number of new products but they all seem to pale when compared to the basic search engine business.
Gmail doesnt look very pale to me. Google Earth is also quite revolutionary not to forget things like Froogle, Google Answers, the desktop search utility etc.
Revolutionary indeed. But Profitable?
Maybe next they’ll make a robotic octopus to do all the work for them…
😉
-bytecoder
Darn, I was thinking more in the line of the flying spaghetti monster.
I’ll say that they will be starting a chain of barber shops. Be watching for ‘Google Hair Beta.’
MWM
Looks like OSDir is adding Google products to their screen shot lineup, that should be cool: http://shots.osdir.com/slideshows/how_to_submit_google.php
Future news.
Everyone loved them until they purchased microsoft.
Google is going to have a big involvement with Sun’s StarOffice. I also think that Google should come out with their own Linux distro, but I doubt that will happen.
Yeah, but if they came out with a Linux distro, would it be Windows only like most of the applications?
Say Google virtualized Windows in some way that supported native Linux apps using Windows hardware drivers, irrespective of an available Windows installation.
Can you hear the distant clang of sphincters slamming shut?
– Free Ads driven Wifi in main city around the world.
– Video Blogs
– Personalized Data mining
– Financial Data
– Shared linked supercomputers
with the money they have and the talent they have they can release new Professionnal stuff almost weekly.
“Building Research Tools with Google for Dummies” might be an idea. After all locating relevent information is what Google’s all about. Empowering paying commercial customers through GoogleAPI (different features and limits) may generate revenue?
AFAIK MicroSoft was considering to buy Google at one point, but it would have wrecked their credibility(what credibility?) because Google is running on Linux.
Why would it wreck their credibility? MS bought Hotmail when Hotmail ran on FreeBSD. All they did is *slowly* migrate over to Windows based systems – they might not even have finished migrating completely for all I know, but buying a company which runs on rival systems does not wreck credibility whatsoever.
No but changing to their OS and the lot falls down, Forcing them to switch back and try again later dose.
So you admit that your post was pure speculation and zero fact then?
I think Google is showing a new way to do business. I remembered when IBM did not have a clue about Microsoft ideas. Now, MIcrosoft doesn’t have a clue about Google.
They have the potential to sink MS but maybe they can find a way to co-exist.
-2501
Sink baby, sink. We could only hope.
It’s not that I’m anti-microsoft. I’m pro-competition.
i would argue that they are still a “bare-bones online search engine” what other tangible technology or software do they have otherwise? They are certainly not driveing the markets in anything other then search engines(remember Excite? Alta-Vista?) not that impressive really. Of what Google has to offer, so far i see nothing in the company that would equal the current value of their stock.
Data.
They have the world’s most up-to-date and comprehensive database on human activities and knowledge.
They can slice and dice that for personal gain or sell it to others.
That said, they don’t have to crush and conquer everyone to be sucessful. The 80s and 90s speculation bubbles were disasters. Doing well without getting overextended or overcommited is probably a wise decision.
“i would argue”
They , as professionnal , are showing you as absolutely wrong, by prooving everyday that they are able to make a profitable business.
“they are still a “bare-bones online search engine” ”
No , is the simple answer you deserve for failing to make a real anccurate market analysis. They are for one the #1 search engine Globally for the web. ( this show your barebone comment as pure incoherent and unrealistic childish comment ).
“what other tangible technology or software do they have otherwise? ”
http://www.google.ca/intl/en/options/index.html
http://www.google.ca/help/features.html
“They are certainly not driveing the markets in anything other then search engines”
Youve been absolutely wrong so far , I will take only one example availaible to proove you are absolutely incompetent in your analysis : Blogs.
“(remember Excite? Alta-Vista?)”
Remember URSS , it failed so CANADA must be a failure too … Remember Atari ? it failed So X-box , Playstation and GameCube are all failure , your argumentation is invalid , inconclusive , based of straw example that dont even relate to one another. Google existed in the time of Excite and Alta-Vista they evolved and survived , the others failed.
“Of what Google has to offer”
One thing is absolutely sure and proven here , you dont even begin to realise or know what Google really as to offer , you dont know what you discuss at all.
“so far i see nothing in the company that would equal the current value of their stock.”
The price of a stock is equal to what people whant to buy it at or more precisely at what price the owner is whilling to let them go at. The value of a company and the stock price are not tied to one another , one does not influence the other , only the market price influence the stock price.
Now if we follow your failed logic :
Look , this is a crappy site :
http://www.berkshirehathaway.com/
Must be a company that dont make money.
Answer its the site of the second richest man on the planet …
http://www.forbes.com/finance/lists/10/2004/LIR.jhtml?passListId=10…
Personnaly Google is undervalued , but there stock price is too high , people like you ( insert bad adjective ) will make it go down when they will hear one bad news , I would prefer they >>split<< all 317.36 share into 10cent ( 1 share become 3173 share at 10 cent each ). Since the market dont allow for 10 cent share it will rise above 1$ in no time and make a 10X profit to all shareholders , it will also allow the small investor to get in on the action.
You obviously have no idea what i am talking about. Basically they take existing information on the internet and make it easier to find….so what. again i ask what tangible technology or software do they have otherwise? Compaired to Microsoft? HP? IBM? All they sell primarily now is online advertising. The major thing they have going for them is a huge amount of capital which if they are smart they will but into real technology companies and then perhaps they will have something. I personally am not sold on Google being a power player in IT, only time will tell.
” Basically they take existing information on the internet and make it easier to find….so what. ”
No , not at all , if it where the case Microsoft and other search engine would be on equal base with Google , if its simple for you its because you dont know what your talking about or your incredibly stupid not to offer your service to Microsoft and getting paid billions for your knowledge or go work at Goole by helping them.
“again i ask what tangible technology or software do they have otherwise?”
If you would have read my reply and also followed the link offered you would not need to ask again the same questions. I aint going to take you by the hand to follow the link offered and the solution and software availaible when all you need to do is go read there page explaining what they have.
“Compaired to Microsoft? HP? IBM?”
– Better Management.
– Better technology’s that is cross platform and cross products.
– There technology’s is not broken , outdated , overpriced
– There not slow to Adapt.
– Etc …
“All they sell primarily now is online advertising. ”
No , absolutely not , but thanks for clearly showing you dont know what Google is and does.
“The major thing … have something.”
Google is real technology , they have something , they know what they are doing so far.
” I personally am not sold on Google being a power player in IT”
Then you obviously dont know what your talking about.
“only time will tell.”
Everyone who know what there talking about ( thats not you at all ) seems to be afraid of what Google will do next , they dont whant ii in there sector as they tend to dominate in what they enter , they have seen what this 7 year old can do over 7 years , all that is needed is for you to become realistic and get accurate data for once.
If I follow your failed Dumb down everything you dont understand logic , BAsically you breath you shit and you bark stupidities , so you must be a dog.
—–
Lets take Picassa :
http://picasa.google.com/index.html
Its one of the best (if not the best ) Picture viewer/searcher/catalogs.
Organise :
http://picasa.google.com/features/index.html
Edit :
http://picasa.google.com/features/features-edit.html
Share :
http://picasa.google.com/features/features-share.html
That category is interesting because it help them be more productive with other Google product ( Gmail *not search* , BlogThis *not search* )
Print :
http://picasa.google.com/features/features-print.html
Working with printing service likes of Wallmart , Hp , etc , making them a revenue stream.
Backup :
http://picasa.google.com/features/features-backup.html
Cd vendor must like them , There probably going to offer ties in with remote Backup space eventually from them or a partner.
Create :
http://picasa.google.com/features/features-create.html
Probably will have template from third party or them eventually.
If all you see is Web Search engine , it means your blind.
Finally the future of flying advertisements chasing us will come true as in the movie Bladerunner!
Woo hoo
They should come with Google OS, but instead of using Linux, they should base it on PC-BSD.