Whats Google DOING?!

There are many things that Google is, but if there is one thing Google is NOT its an ordinary, Blue Chip conglomerate. While the company clearly dominates the search space, as well as nearly every other major online vertical trending towards aggressive growth, Google has yet to fall into the trap of complacency.

Google's current product overview includes:

• Search
  
• Browser
  
• Blog Platform (the very one you are reading now)
  
• News
  
• Image Editor (Picasso)
  
• ...The list goes on and on

But where is google going now? Will they continue to dominate the search space? Or will they begin to dilute their brand with their wide range of products?

Over the last few years, Google has had a number of successes. However, as they have moved away from trendy and new technologies like blogging, search and e-commerce they have begun to trend towards direct, one to one competition with the big elephant in the room...Microsoft!

For years, Microsoft has maintained a supreme advantage over the rest of the technology industry, holding the lions share of operating system purchases, web browsing marketshare and consumer/business productivity tools (MS OFFICE). Google's strategy and desire to play in this market is clear. As the world has moved continually online, and the Google brand has increasingly become THE name in online computing, beginning to compete against the big M is a logical next step.

TIMING IS EVERYTHING

Perhaps the greatest challenge facing Google today is not HOW Google will compete with Microsoft but WHEN the time will be right for Google to make its big move. Previous attempts to launch MS killers like Google Docs (which was designed to compete against MS Office) have recieved luke warm reception and low adoption. While reviews have been positive, the reality is that the world is just not yet ready to throw off the mantle of Microsofts dominance in the home and business computing industry.

THE BIG QUESTION

It has been clear for some time the Google will eventually launch its own operating system, a release that will be perhaps the greatest challenge to Microsoft since the company's inception in the 1970's. However, to make it a win, the OS has to be clearly superior to Windows AND present specific benefits that outweight the familiarity and cultural comfort of working with an OS that many people have been using since birth.

CAN IT BE DONE?

APPLE, APPLE, APPLE!!!!!! It can be done, but the "packaging" is key. If Google can present an OS that is so clearly superior, so accessable and so aligned with our daily lives that it is impossible to ignore, then Google may well take the market by storm...and hit the Elephant wear it hurts.....