Trends That Should R.I.P. in 2008: #3 – Microsoft Chasing Google & Apple

Microsoft Chasing Google & Apple

If you haven’t figured out by now, I am a Microsoft hater – although I give them credit when they do something good. At first, it amused me that Microsoft felt they had to compete with Google and Apple. However, over time, Microsoft has shown that instead of innovating, they are playing a game of follow the leader – Google and Apple.

I don’t doubt that Microsoft should be worried about Google’s increasing power and influence; however, other than Internet search and online ads, Google hasn’t had any outstanding hits for other products/services they’ve launched. Google Docs are an interesting offering, and I like the idea of sharing docs on the internet; however, I don’t see their service as a major threat to Microsoft Office right now. Google Docs just isn’t robust enough for anyone who’s an intermediate to expert user when it comes to a word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation application. That doesn’t mean that Microsoft shouldn’t keep an eye on Google Docs; however, the service is currently far behind in what Microsoft Office offers. I think they’re safe in knowing that most businesses will not dump Office in favor of Google Docs for quite some time.

Other areas where Microsoft is showing their fear [and awe] of Google lies with their acquisition of a online ad platform. This occurred after Google made a move to purchase Double Click. To me, it seems like Microsoft’s purchase of aQuantitive was a knee-jerk reaction. Then there’s Microsoft’s pursuit of Digg and Facebook to serve as their primary ad provider because Google was already encroached (Digg) or sniffing around (Facebook). I see those deals as wins for Digg and especially Facebook; however, other than Microsoft saying “Look, we beat Google this time!” or saying “Look, we can be cool with geeks, too.” there is little benefit for Microsoft.

As for Apple, the “cold war” between the two has heated up as more and more people are switching to Macs, thanks to the iPod and the issues with Microsoft’s flagship Windows operating system. In a “me too” bid and an effort to try and show up Apple, they came up with the “iPod killer” that didn’t kill the iPod. While the Zune is a good alternative, it’s trailing in Apple’s dust in terms of looks (the iPod Touch) and software features (video).

Microsoft then finally released the long awaited Vista OS that touted many features that were already widely available in a more stable OSX (Tiger) for Mac. They urged PC users to upgrade so that they could, presumably, experience what Mac users had experienced for some time. Vista promised more security and a faster PC experience. Unfortunately for Microsoft, Vista just isn’t worth the upgrade to many consumers, actually runs faster on Macs, and was listed as one of the biggest tech disappointments for 2007. Despite Vista’s failure, Microsoft Windows is ran on more than 90% of the world’s PCs, which far outnumbers the amount of Mac users. So why is Microsoft so worried?

While I don’t think Microsoft should rest on their laurels if they don’t want to become the next IBM, at the same time, I think the software giant looks quite lame chasing behind Google and Apple. While both companies are contenders, Microsoft is showing their weakness, fear, and envy. I equate this chase as I would to the Nintendo Wii chasing behind the Sony PlayStation 3. Anyone who follows gaming knows that this is a laughable scenario, similar to the idea of Microsoft chasing behind Google and Apple when they don’t need to. They should just focus on innovation…like making Vista what it was suppose to be, make it run faster on PCs, and experience less crashes; otherwise, I might downgrade back to XP myself.