Bungled branding of the new Windows Live Internet services has hurt Microsoft and could affect its chance to play catch-up with Google, analysts said on Friday. On Thursday, Microsoft lowered its sales forecast for its Internet services business for the full year from 11 percent to between 3 percent and 8 percent. It also acknowledged that its search market share has dropped. Windows Live Search saw its searches drop nearly 10 percent from a year ago, while Google's rose more than 22 percent, according to figures released this week from Nielsen/NetRatings. Google has 50.8 percent market share, followed by Yahoo at 23.6 percent and Microsoft with only 8.4 percent.
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Member since:2005-10-02
Member since:2005-07-24
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We're getting dangerously close to the point where Google has no competition
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I disagree. Microsoft is more dangerous than Google. Google has to continue doing their best. Unlike an OS, it's trivial to change one's default search engine. You don't even need a guru. You just do it.
Online office apps are harder. But it remains to be seen just how important that market really will be. I'm guessing not very.
There are just too many reasons *not* to use such a service. (Most businesses have too many secrets to trust such a service, and Aunt Martha's not going to be comfortable trusting her Secret Recipe For Marble Fudge to it either.)
Besides, MS has a history of coming from way behind and then crushing the opponent that once had such a head start on them.
But to be fair, I should give the Google guys credit for being smarter than, for example, the Netscape guys.
Edited 2007-01-28 18:31
Member since:2005-11-10
Microsoft HAD the history. But when is the last time that happened. They did take the Video Game market only to have their butts getting kicked by the likes of the Wii.
Microsoft took over computers by doing what linux does now. Give away or low price their products to take out the comp. Remember Netscape was a paid product. If it was free like Firefox IE would have never caught up cause everyone knew Netscape. But why pay $30 for something that you can get in the PC for free?
But they will never beat google, cause google gives you the better product that everyone knows for free! Plus MS is bias. you will find that sometimes searches for products that compete against MS products come up funny in searches. (like Linux products)
So I hope MS stays just the way they are. I will keep using FF and the Google search box.
Member since:
2005-10-19
We're getting dangerously close to the point where Google has no competition. This is one case where we better hope Microsoft, Yahoo, and others gain ground.