OK Google is trying to take over the world. Now that it has shown a willingness to pay big bucks for hot Internet companies, it may succeed in world domination.
Plus, there are a lot of products in the rumor mill.
There are rumors it is bidding on Facebook. That it is developing a Google PC, a Google cell phone. It's already into desktop applications, social networking, online transactions.
So what else is coming? I'd like to collect some suggestions and rumors. What products might Google create? What companies might it buy?
I interpret Google's mission statement, to "organize the world's information and make it universally accesible and useful," very broadly. It means making it easy to get on the Internet (wi-fi, cell phones, PCS) as well as disseminating information (gmail, Orkut, YouTube). Keep in mind that all services should be free, all hardware exorbitantly cheap.
Here are some suggestions of things that fit Google's mission statement:
More hardware: Google PDA with email (buy Palm and Blackberry?) Google Book Reader. Google wi-fi radio. Google TV (with the ability to find thousands of programs from around the world and a quick list of your favorites, thus breaking the cable monopolies.)
Other applications to help you organize and work with your personal data: A database program, Presentation software, Desktop publishing software.
Google could buy TypePad, since Blogger isn't a great service. (It probably won't buy Google Blogoscoped.)
More financial stuff: Why not Google Banking, a Google stock trading system, Google credit cards?
More specialized information categories to search: Yellow Pages. Google Elections and Political Campaigns (changing the costs and dynamics of political campaigns, relying on the Internet rather than TV ads). Google Travel buy Travelocity.) Google flea markets (buy eBay). Maybe Google could buy Craig's List, a great fit for the company, and job postings would become free.
All in the name of world domination, making Google advertising a sure monopoly.
Help me out here. What do you think Google should buy or build? Maybe it will take your suggestions. |
Level3 communcications – build the backbone!!
"if you re-build, they will come" :)-
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I like the sound of a Level3 buyout. That could do a lot for the company.
>> Google could buy TypePad
They "could", but they would probably have to buy the whole of Six Apart. I don't think Blogger is such a bad product, but I don't think it's fully targeting a business audience.. something Google is more than capable of doing. Perhaps then it could be integrated with Google AFYD?
>> A database program.
Their interpretation of a database is Google Base.
>> Google Credit Card.
Why go back in time? We'll be all chip heads soon enough.
>> More hardware: Google PDA with email
I've never liked the idea of "Google hardware". It seems like a cheap idea to me. Pointless, because if PDA's can already access the net, and Google essentially organises the net, why brand the actual device?
I think the future of the web is... not very interesting. We can have the Semantic Web, great, we can have user contributed information, great, but what about after that? I know I sound like an old granny, but I think the Internet will begin where the web left off.
More specifically, the Internet will become more part of our everyday lives, in the forms of Digital clocks – they would not be able to access http's directly, but they could still be controlled via the Internet. Another example is TV. I think it would be very "dossy" to have a TV version of Firefox. It needs to be "straight to it", missing out the Web middle man.
It's hard to explain.
By the way, I love these kind of threads. |
very intersting bug [one off] ...my comments for this thread – went into a cross over into this thread [ Google to merge Writely and Spreadsheets to form Google Docs.]
http://blogoscoped.com/forum/71160.html#id71368
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> Google flea markets (buy eBay).
What does eBay cost? |
Just looking at market caps, eBay is worth more than Yahoo! didn't realise that.
Yahoo! = 33B
eBay = 42B
Google = 130B :) |
I think, as ridiculous as it sounds, Google could afford to buy eBay. |
<<Google could afford to buy eBay.>>
They don't have enough cash... It's also risky to buy with stock, for both side. |
I'm not sure why it would be risky to buy eBay with stock. It would be good for eBay, because its stock is in danger of continuing to decline. eBay's business model is faltering--charing more and more to place an ad, which is starting to price itself out of business. The market won't take it. But it's too risky to change the model by lowering prices in the hope of more volume.
Google, however, could change the pricing model. What if it only charges when a sale is made--would that be difficult to enforce? Or could the added traffic to Google ads be worth lowering prices? It could revive eBay's fortunes. |
I disagree with the person who said the future of internet is boring.
I think so far, Google has made no mistakes after its IPO. maybe Youtube, maybe not.
The power of Google is that they do a lot of things right and simple. And they are not in it to monetize their software. Ads generate enough revenue. So, with their vast computing, they try to solve hard problems. Rather than easy ones. That's their expertise.
Do hard problems, do them right and give it to the users for free.
As I look at the future, already video is tumbling. Now it is as easy to add video to a webpage as picture was in 90s. Whats next? What hard problems could google solve?
I don't have an answer for it :(
Regarding their revenues from ads, TV comes to mind. Radio comes to mind. Remember just 3% of all ad dollars in US are spent on internet.
Radio = dMarc
TV = YouTube?
Print = Google Print
Google's next move would be to be able to monetize on these three medium, while keeping ahead in the emerging mediums (mobile, internet content, etc).
So, I expect Google to move agressively into some of these mediums. But, since these traditional mediums are deep entrenched in old-school thinking, partnerships are going to be crucial. And implementation won't be easy. Tough times ahead for google. |
RC said:
>> I disagree with the person who said the future of internet is boring.
I think you misunderstood me. First of all, I said the Web, not the Internet. There's a big difference. Second, I am meaning later in the future, when the limitation lies within the space of the computer monitor.
If you apply the content available through the Internet to different media, it becomes more universally accessible... something which Google would be keen to be part of. Google will not stop at the web. It's the world they are after. |
>> Google will not stop at the web. It's the world they are after.
Its true! http://blog.wioota.com/2006/08/31/google-working-on-prototype-for-offline-spider/
Scary stuff :) |
That wioota blog about Google nanobots is very funny. Google would probably do it if it could.
Last Sunday's NYTimes has a real article about Google taking over our lives, "Planet Google Wants You"
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/15/fashion/15google.html?pagewanted=1&th&adxnnl=1&emc=th&adxnnlx=1161033792-1KQ8RuObhUm1EGXWmvNbGA
Says one Google user:
“I don’t know if I want all my personal information saved on this massive server in Mountain View, but it is so much of an improvement on how life was before, I can’t help it.”
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