Microsoft and Google compete head-to-head

Print Email Tweet This!Save to Favorites
Recommend on Google+

A dramatic shake-up for the information-technology (IT) industry is coming.  Google is promising to release an operating system (like XP or Vista) for personal computers.  This represents a direct attack on Microsoft, the world’s biggest software firm.

Microsoft’s PC operating system, Windows, boasts a market share of nearly 90%. Although the firm’s empire has been showing signs of decline, it remains a dominant power. Yet industry watchers see a huge threat as the mighty internet company moves into new territory.  Microsoft – THE name in computing for more than twenty years -suddenly looks very vulnerable.

Microsoft are not doomed, yet.  The new system, Chrome OS, will be targeted only at net books.  The idea is to provide a compact operating system that boots up in a few seconds and allows users to work securely and easily with web-based applications, such as e-mail and social networks.  It will be a while before it’s a true threat to the mighty Windows.

But few will doubt that a massive change is on the way.  The strategic plan must surely be to make Windows obsolete and turn the browser into the dominant ‘computing platform’.

What will Microsoft do?

Windows Vista, the latest version of its operating system, has not been a success. Its attempts to muscle into Google’s main territory, web search and online advertising, have not brought big gains. However, don’t write off the giant yet.  In October, roughly when Google will make Chrome OS available, Microsoft will release the next version of its operating system, Windows 7, which is supposed to run well on netbooks.  Other plans are afoot too.

So expect a dramatic and long fought out battle of the titans over the next couple of years.  Hopefully we the consumers will benefit from the intense rivalry with better products and lower prices.

 

blog comments powered by Disqus

BUSINESS TEACHER RESOURCE NEWSLETTER
Get first news of business teaching resources, ideas and other materials from tutor2u. Over 9,400 business teachers from the UK and around the world receive our regular teacher email newsletters. Sign up for free here!

*  Your Email Address:
*  Preferred Format:	HTMLText
Full Name:
*  Country:	-- Please choose your country --United KingdomAlgeriaArgentinaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBelgiumBermudaBosniaBotswanaBrazilBruneiBulgariaCambodiaCameroonCanadaChinaCyprusCzech republicEgyptEstoniaEthiopiaFijiFranceGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGreeceHong KongHungaryIndiaIndonesiaIranIrelandIsraelItalyIvory CoastJapanJordanKenyaKuwaitLebanonLiberiaLithuaniaMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaltaMauritiusMexicoNepalNetherlandsNew ZealandNigeriaNorwayOmanPakistanPapua New GuineaPhillipinesPolandPortugalQatarRomaniaRussiaSaudi ArabiaSierra LeoneSingaporeSlovakiaSloveniaSouth KoreaSpainSri LankaSwedenSwitzerlandTanzaniaThailandTunisiaUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited StatesUruguayVietnamWest IndiesZambiaZimbabwe
Job / Position:
Postcode:
School / College:
Town / City:
AS/A2 Applied Business Board:	-- Please choose an option --AQAEdexcelOCRNot offered
AS/A2 Business Studies Board:	-- Please choose an option --AQAOCREdexcelCambridge Pre-UIBSQAWJECOtherDon't offer AS/A2 Business
BTEC First:	Offered Not Offered
BTEC National in Business:	Offered Not offered
GCSE Applied Business Board:	-- Please choose an option --AQAEdexcelOCRCCEAWJECDont Offer GCSE Applied Business
GCSE Business Board:	-- Please choose an option --AQAOCREdexcelIGCSEICAA/CCEAWJECSQAOtherDon't offer GCSE Business
*  Enter the security code shown:

Popular Topic Tags

recession, demand, prices, price, unemployment, profit, economics, costs, investment, inflation, supply, employment, trade, competition, gdp, risk, china, debt, euro, entrepreneur, capacity, production, downturn, innovation, tutor2u, revision, pay, exports, manufacturing, confidence, profits, food, incentives, banks, strategy, globalisation, aqa, expectations, oil, csr, usa, startup, retailers, housing, productivity, sterling, supermarkets, google, economies of scale, mortgage, takeover, cash flow, advertising, quiz, leadership, property, buss4, tesco, economic growth, video, efficiency, enterprise, motivation, stakeholders, apple, deflation, corporate social responsibility, ebea, market share, airlines, pricing, taxation, slowdown, bank of england, acquisition, merger, market failure, borrowing, competitiveness, sustainability, product life cycle, interest rates, credit crunch, budget deficit, aqa business studies, facebook, twitter, aqa business, bbc, nelson thornes, philip allan updates, starbucks, philip allan, monopoly, diversification, recruitment, organic growth, stocks, training, oligopoly, starter activity, shareholders, uk economy, poverty, emerging markets, dollar, government failure, retailing, management, suppliers, buss1, marketing mix, tim harford, cpi, branding, opportunity cost, breakeven, government spending, hodder education, vat, product, customer service, eu, losses, wages, evaluation, india, external growth, wealth, environment, edexcel, location, promotion, technology, information failure, business studies revision, sources of finance, franchise, aqa gce business, elasticity, regulation, spare capacity, welfare, jobs, economic cycle, marketing, zondle, strategic direction, british airways,
View all tags for the Business Blog