Google: Question 2-Competition

Lisa Chen wrote:Concerning the social media, I think Google should stop worrying about that and focus more on their other divisions and on improving them or keep innovating. In the long run, Facebook shall win the competition, because first of all there is a switching hassle and also I don't think people want to update both Facebook and Google +.

As for mobile services, I think they are doing a great job. It has many benefits, and all the applications work perfectly, especially the ones connected to Google, obviously. But I mean most of the apps I use are connected with Google, such as Google Maps, Gmail, Google Latitude is also working very well, because of the good GPS connection. Competition is fierce with Apple, HTC etc. but I think Google has all the capabilities and knowledge to survive.

However, Cloud computing still has some improving to do, I think. Even though I like using Google Docs, for team projects or something, I don’t think it is as user-friendly as Microsoft. Also it is hard to compete with Microsoft Word etc as we all grew up with it and it has become a habit to open the “start-tab” and click on Microsoft Word.

Khanh Linh LAM wrote:About the mobile services, what do you think about Google Voice ? It's a phone service which uses Internet. Does it represent a threat for the phone operators ?

Glen Yang wrote:there are a lot of chances to change the way we use cars and fridges,
they may develop like...Cloud Google Cars, or Cloud Google Fridges, and install Chrome OS in them.

My point is, as I said at the very beginning, "Google always has ambitions to get into the market which they didn't belong to."

Lisa Chen wrote:Concerning the social media, I think Google should stop worrying about that and focus more on their other divisions and on improving them or keep innovating. In the long run, Facebook shall win the competition, because first of all there is a switching hassle and also I don't think people want to update both Facebook and Google +.

As for mobile services, I think they are doing a great job. It has many benefits, and all the applications work perfectly, especially the ones connected to Google, obviously. But I mean most of the apps I use are connected with Google, such as Google Maps, Gmail, Google Latitude is also working very well, because of the good GPS connection. Competition is fierce with Apple, HTC etc. but I think Google has all the capabilities and knowledge to survive.

However, Cloud computing still has some improving to do, I think. Even though I like using Google Docs, for team projects or something, I don’t think it is as user-friendly as Microsoft. Also it is hard to compete with Microsoft Word etc as we all grew up with it and it has become a habit to open the “start-tab” and click on Microsoft Word.

Xiaowei Wen wrote:When you talk about the cloud service, do you mean that Google has a absolute dominant position in the area?
Although Google is a company who loves the Cloud from the very beginning, and to put all its products and services into the Cloud is as natural as breathing and eating, do you think that it's not really facing any chanllenge?
From iTunes to App Store to iCloud this month, Apple's main target might be Google. Though it seems more expensive in all its products and has less free service, its target of structuring an OS in the Cloud sounds very competitive, what's your guys opinion?
Besides, whose Cloud service in the mobile device do you think will be more successful?

r99725051 wrote:Most of the time, Google isn't the first mover but a strong competitor.
Let's see mobile services first. After many years from iOS provided, Google released Android system. In mobile phone system, NOKIA was the king. When iPhone released, iOS grew very fast, then is Android .
iOS is a close system. Only Apple employee can see the code, unlike Android, it's a open source, improvement by everyone. Android also have another advantage: many different brands of mobile phone can use this system. So in mobile phone competition, smart phones with Android v.s. iPhone, Android is very competitive.
This year there is a survey showing that in Europe, the market share of Android goes over to iOS, becoming second of the market(NOKIA is still NO1 ).
Then is social network. Again, Google isn't the first one. After Facebook many years comes Google+. The biggest entry barrier for social network is amounts of users. Facebook is the biggest social network provider, but think about the user number of Google search engine.
In the other side, being the back mover, Google+ has enough time to observe Facebook user experience, they fixed many problems which users complain the most, like privacy, UI, and any annoyed problem you've felt.
About cloud service, is there any other powerful cloud services can compare to Google?

joern.esdohr wrote:

Glen Yang wrote:there are a lot of chances to change the way we use cars and fridges,
they may develop like...Cloud Google Cars, or Cloud Google Fridges, and install Chrome OS in them.

My point is, as I said at the very beginning, "Google always has ambitions to get into the market which they didn't belong to."

Well, that is what Google is doing -- all the time. Google is developing an autonomous car and just recently published its own Arduino addon. Arduino is a enormously versatile IC board with which you can literally do and control anything, including garage doors, light shows, robots or washing machines and fridges.



On Google's IO Event this year, they presented their Home Automation efforts to bring Android into the living room, e.g. with a WiFi capable light bulb.

Thanks to their innovative spirit, they are not afraid to try very new and unfamiliar markets. That poses a big advantage in times of rapidly shifting technology markets.

Ally Feng wrote:Thanks everone for the active participation
I would like to bring up some other questions....
Base on Google's current business model, the ultimate competition is for ad money.

<social marketing>
Google is the de facto winner in keyword marketing, but as you all mentioned it is losing the social marketing segment to Facebook.
But do you think in advertisers' point of view, these two types of marketing tactics are actually complements of each other, and not necessarily competing?
What I'm trying to say is, although it's undesirable for Google that it can't take all the online marketing spending, social marketing won't threaten its current revenue that much?

<mobile computing>
Android phone is gaining momentum to become a formidable threat to iPhone.
But the competition is for user traffic and then ad money, not necessarily the sales figures of smart phones.
In the end, iPhone users still use a lot of Google services, and apps also embbed google ads.
However, the openess of andorid eco-system might make it harder to provide an integrated and seamless user experience.
Do you think Google should do somehthing to fix that? Or just staying as a operating system provider in the eco-system is enough?


<cloud computing>
I totally agree that Google has much expertise in this area.
But for them to capitalize on it, either in the form of IaaS/PaaS/SaaS, the change of business model is needed.
And I guess paid users for cloud computing are more likely to be the enterprise, but Google really lack domain knowledge in those area since they're more used to deal with mass indvidual users.
Therefore, do you think it's hard for them to reap cash benefit from cloud computing directly except for supporting their own search & free services infrastructure ?