The blogosphere has been abuzz about the idea of a Google PC for the last couple of days. Google has denied the rumor. I’m surprised that it ever had any legs, honestly. It’s a stupid idea. Microsoft has a hammer-lock on the OS market, and virtually all of the applications for PC’s are written to the Microsoft standard. Neither Apple, nor OS/2, nor Linux has been able to break that grip yet. Why should Google be any different?
Nope, when I first heard the rumor, it seemed completely non-credible to me. And as the rumor grew, I asked myself "Surely Sergey and Larry have more sense than that." And then, it became "Remember Mike Cowpland". Thankfully the boys in Mountainview learned that Cautionary Tale. There are just too many other ways to make money without taking on Microsoft in their core business with a weak strategy. And that’s what the Google PC is… a weak strategy.
Alec Saunders is the Vice President of Developer Relations for BlackBerry maker Research in Motion. This is his personal blog, with his personal viewpoints. Prior to this Alec was the CEO and co-founder of Calliflower — the easiest way to hold a meeting, online, on a conference call, or on the go. A double-decade veteran of product management and marketing, he spent nine years at Microsoft where he helped launch Windows 95, the first two versions of Internet Explorer, the Universal Plug and Play initiative, the push into home markets, opt-in email marketing and what might well go down in history as the very first direct email list ever.
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Since Google hasn't made their strategy, if any, public on the Google PC, how do you know it's weak?
Well, things did work out well for Mike. It was time for him to get out of Corel anyways and he seems to be quite good at what he is doing at ZIM. Or atleast thats what his quarterly reports seem to indicate.
Can someone put Microsoft out of business? Thats a question no one knows the answer to. Time and time again, it seems that the consumers are creatures of habit, and at the same time they have proven themselves otherwise in more than a few occassions.. so, maybe… if its worth the switch and it catches their fancy, they will.
The only intelligent way to fight Microsoft is not to fight them, per se. Invent new businesses, achieve a dominant position there, and wait for them to come to you.
In otherwords, carve out what you do best, hang on to it for dear life and do extraordinary well at it.
I agree with you Alec.
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