The chart on this first slide shows Google’s total indifference to Microsoft
Google today announced the last major component of the Web-based productivity suite that it amusingly continues to insist is not a competitor to Microsoft Office. Google will add a PowerPoint-equivalent presentation tool to its Docs & Spreadsheets package (which we trust will be renamed rather than having another ampersand tacked on). The technology will come from just acquired Tonic Systems, which developed Java-based systems for presentation creation and document conversion.
Still, in announcing the product at the Web 2.0 Expo, CEO Eric Schmidt refused to concede that the Google suite poses any threat to Redmond. “We don’t think it’s a competitor to Microsoft Office,” Schmidt said. “It’s casual and sharing and a better fit to how people use the Web. My guess is many companies in the audience are building products like this or other variants of this using the emerging architecture.” Too coy by half, Eric, even if you don’t want to bill it as an Office Killer. It’s not like you’re fooling Microsoft.
It will be good for Microsoft to have some competition, however, from a practical perspective, it’s nice to have offline work productivity software access (ie: while on a plane). For all the constant negativity reported by the media towards Microsoft, I use Excel, Word, PowerPoint & Outlook heavily on a daily basis and they all work pretty darn well. There are certain customizations I’d like to see, as I’m sure would everybody else for each person’s unique requirements, but in general I find it pretty comprehensive and user friendly. Office Killer? Not in its current iteration. Office Killer in training? Absolutely!
Microsoft could care less. Yea, Office is a cash cow, but guess what OS you’re using to view these Google aps on?
That won’t change, not for a long time. and by then, I’m sure Microsoft will have adapted to something similar, if not better, than what Google is offering today.
Keep in mind that Microsoft doesn’t create most of its own technology–it buys them. All you need to is look at their books.
They spend ridiculous amounts on R&D, yet all they have to show for it is a Grammar Checker in Word. Go figure. When it doubt, buy success.
Me thinks the lads at Microsoft protest too little. That’s when you know you’ve hit a nerve.
I think they ought to call the suite of applications “Google Bill.” Just make sure the online help has a little avatar with messy hair and glasses.
Of course, if you’ve used Google Docs & Spreadsheets, you already know that it is no competition to *any* document processing or spreadsheet alternative. It is definitely not “beta” in any software engineering sense of the term, because it has major bugs in the most basic functionality.
I appreciate all the new functionality coming to Google; however, it just can’t keep up with the Microsoft juggernaut. Groove is the new killer application. If Google can create the equivalent and make these workspaces easily accessible and still keep them protected, then I might consider moving my work habits to a future web 3.0 environment. Perhaps the Jotspot Wiki will be the answer? But where is it?
I Think It will Good For Microsoft
If you recall the history of Microsoft’s “suite”, you will realize that it was a created from copies of “lotus 1-2-3″ and “Wordperfect”. Even the OS was an improvement of IBM’s DOS and Explorer was not an original either. I am not sure it would be right for Microsoft to complain about it’s own strategy!
I was at the Salesforce.com conference today at the Marriott. You could tell from the Keynote from Marc that a partnership with Google will be announced soon.