The title of the article that proves my point? “Is Google’s Chrome the New Internet Explorer?” The gist of the article? Microsoft thinks that bundling Chrome in Windows will give Google a search monopoly because of it’s speed and security.
The Battle for the Box
Let’s make one thing absolutely clear. Microsoft’s concern with the EU case concerning bundling IE has zero to do with Chrome, Firefox, Opera and the like. It should be called “The battle for the box.” Microsoft doesn’t want that little search box you see at the top right of your browser to fall into the hands of Google. Think about it, it’s THE reason that when you do use IE, Google really wants you to install their toolbar, not for the features, for the SEARCH BOX! Don’t get me wrong, Microsoft wants people using IE8. In a perfect world to them, the internet would run on Explorer and they wouldn’t have to worry about all these silly standards (note sarcasm).
The reality, however, is that Microsoft wants to make money, something that Google is very good at. They made all that money by selling ads in their search engine, you might have used it before. If you look at the monopoly numbers that have been used against Microsoft in recent years, you will see that they are quite similar to Google’s dominance in the search market.
Microsoft is David to Google’s Goliath
Microsoft is still trying to get into the search market. The Live Search product isn’t totally mature, but it’s getting better. Right now, the only thing really keeping them in the game is that Windows ships with Internet Explorer 8 and it’s set by default to the MSN.com homepage and the default search engine is Live Search. This, my friends, is the battle ground.
Forget which browser got you there, they money is in the search. Microsoft doesn’t make money when you use Internet Explorer, and they don’t lose money when you use Firefox or Chrome, at least not directly. They lose money when you use the search tools that are set up by default by those browsers.
I know that some of you might have a hard time seeing Microsoft as the underdog, but in the world of search, that is absolutely the case.
Think of it more bluntly. If the EU wins this case, it’s the rough equivalent of the EU forcing Microsoft to just hand money to Google, millions of dollars on a daily basis.
Keep Your Eye On The Ball
I know what you are thinking, and I hear what you have said in the past. “The customer needs choice.” The argument against Windows has been that the market share keeps other OSes like OS X and Linux beat down. Get ready boys, the same game is coming and it’s going to define where and how you search the internet. I use Google too, and I think it’s a great search engine, but it’s all but consumed every other search tool. Yahoo is on it’s last legs and Microsoft is not far behind them in market share. As much as they sing “Don’t be evil.” around the corporate campus’ campfires, Google has an eye on your personal information. The ads they sell are only as valuable as the information they can get about you before they serve them.
Look at this problem closely, and don’t take sides too quickly. Microsoft may have a bad rap over the OS Monopoly issues, but it’s also 100% responsible for building a platform that crossed oceans and united the world through the internet. If you think that you would have the technology at your fingertips without the ground that Windows 95 broke, you are sadly mistaken. Now there is a vast landscape in cyberspace, it will be these types of steps that hand the keys of the internet to Google.
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