Microsoft is at great risk of being taken out by the next generation of users if it doesn’t [...]]]>

Google has announced that it will be porting it’s Google Doc’s platform to the iPad.   Google has yet to go head to head with the Microsoft Office suite – but it’s begun to nibble at it’s target.

Microsoft is at great risk of being taken out by the next generation of users if it doesn’t learn to adapt to the new competitive field quickly.   Apple has wisely learned that a $ 9.99 price point for it’s version of Word (Pages) is what customers are willing to pay.

The risk to Microsoft is that Google will take over the University/Student/Low tech audience.  If Microsoft hopes to remain relevant in the portable market it needs to get a free version of Word (or next to free) version out into the market ASAP.

Google is following the brilliant approach of Apple – don’t compete with Microsoft head-on.  Attack the fringe.

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It’s in [...]]]>

With the release of iPad so should come with MobileMe tossed in for free.  Take a page from Google and see the value not in the user fee’s but rather the targeting advertising.  Maybe offer a package of reduced services, and for those who want more features – pay a little bit more.

It’s in Apple’s business interest to keep users locked to the Apple platform, and what better way than to control the contacts and photos of the customer?

The risk to Apple is that customers switch to Google for their sync and cloud solutions (which I currently utilize- free is a good price point to me).

If Apple can make Cloud computing as seamless as they make their hardware and software – they will grow their market for even more hardware devices over time.  Otherwise they may have to enter the ring with Google to keep customers with their platform – and nobody wants to take on Google.

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Counter intuitive as it may sound, but Google risks becoming the next Altavista.  The once industry leader who lost virtually it’s huge market share to Google with their release of a [...]]]> I was thinking about this today – how it’s in Google’s best long term interest to have a good, strong viable competition to it’s search engine.

Counter intuitive as it may sound, but Google risks becoming the next Altavista.  The once industry leader who lost virtually it’s huge market share to Google with their release of a much better, less spam infested search engine.

The real threat to Google is from SEM (Search Engine Marketing) experts who are forever gaming the results so users will become increasingly frustrated in not finding what it is that they are looking for.  And here lies the problem for Google – if they’re the only player in town – they get the full force of marketing departments forever trying to outflank their page ranking systems.

In a perfect world Google would have equal market share with 3 or 4 players – dividing the attention of SEM experts.  Ultimately any search engine lives and dies by the results, and being the number one player, and virtually the only player may be Google’s undoing.