Google polishes Chrome, Microsoft calls foul
By Chris Gaylord | 05.12.09
Google may be known for search. But its billions came from cornering the online ad market.
So the tech press enjoyed a touch of irony when the Web giant commissioned its first TV ad. “What does it mean when a company that built its empire on Internet advertising decides to turn to another medium to promote its own products?” chuckled Ars Technica.
This 30-second spot promotes an odd branch of the Google family tree: Chrome, its fledgling web browser.
The ad’s tone is inexplicable, yet somehow appropriate. Google has always portrayed itself as a company that plays well with others. It couldn’t adopt Apple’s light-hearted smugness or Microsoft’s fake candid moments. Instead, the Chrome ad seems to have been filmed in the corner of a kindergarten classroom. It’s playful and colorful (much like Google’s logo) but only lightly alludes to what Chrome actually does.
Google has done a lot to buff its browser recently. It regularly talks up the program’s speed, helpful updates, and growing developer community. But despite plenty of buzz among early adopters, Chrome holds a measly 1 percent market share.
That statistic could skyrocket if the European Commission has its way. A recent proposal would force Microsoft to include competing Web browsers with every copy of Windows. The EC hopes the additional options would break any potential monopoly that Microsoft could leverage by bundling Windows with its own Internet Explorer, which enjoys more than 90 percent worldwide market share.
Microsoft strongly protests the measure. According to its lawyers, the EC proposal would prevent one potential monopoly by promoting another. This argument ties back into how Google got its billions.
Chrome’s default search function leads people to Google. And Google search serves up Google ads, the company’s main moneymaker. This connection might not sound like much of a cash cow, but don’t be deceived. Second-place browser Firefox earns most of its money through a partnership with Google that directs users to the company’s search site (and, again, to Google’s advertising empire).
Therefore, Microsoft says, if the EC mandates greater adoption of Chrome or Firefox, it could cement Google’s place at the top of the online ad market.
“Not only would Google’s browser Chrome suddenly be on all Windows PCs, but it would strengthen Google’s dominance in search advertising,” said an anonymous source “with direct knowledge of Microsoft’s legal defense” in the NYTimes.
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5. D. | 05.13.09
Like it or not, Microsoft’s legal argument is spot on correct. Government, in whatever form it chooses to fester, is always nearsighted. You may recall AG Janet Reno’s lawsuit against Microsoft and the resultant dot com crash…
This is a stupid time for governments to twiddle the knobs of the driving force of the economy.
6. Craig | 05.13.09
I’ve been using Google Chrome for a while, and it works pretty well. Speed is definitely fast compared to IE. They have a few more tweaks to work out performance-wise for Chrome, but it could become a major player soon enough.
7. jody | 05.13.09
To D: “You may recall AG Janet Reno’s lawsuit against Microsoft and the resultant dot com crash…”… really? Reno caused the dot-com crash? Can I have some of what you are smoking, please. I am tired of reality and need to escape.
8. walterbyrd | 05.13.09
>>You may recall AG Janet Reno’s lawsuit against Microsoft and the resultant dot com crash…<<
The lawsuit against msft was 100% ineffective, and a complete joke. To claim that caused the dot-com crash is laughable.
Why is it okay for msft to have a monopoly, but a disaster for anybody else to have a monolopy?
9. kid | 05.13.09
Microsoft would do well to remember that it’s not illegal to be a monopoly, only to abuse that position by blocking competition’s access to market. Google is not in a position to block anyone from using IE, nor installing Windows. Thus, no abuse, so far. It seems to me that Microsoft likes to remember the law only when it’s convenient.
10. kid | 05.13.09
I love a good quote!
“This is a stupid time for governments to twiddle the knobs of the driving force of the economy.”
Jeffrey Skilling?
11. Agent5 | 05.13.09
“A recent proposal would force Microsoft to include competing Web browsers with every copy of Windows.” By “competing” do they mean multiple browsers or simply one alternative? And if it’s only one alternative, why would it have to be a browser with ties to Google?
12. NotW | 05.13.09
The best alternative is to completely strip out *any* built-in browser. Instead, the first time a network connection is detected, a browser-download utility should give the user a choice of browsers to download (should be about five choices: IE, Firefox, Opera, Safari, Chrome), including deciding for themselves which one should be their default.
This is what should have been done back when the DOJ first sued Microsoft.
Bundling competitors changes it from a monopoly to an oligopoly. Better, but not what consumers need. We need the ability to run the browser(s) of our choice without being disadvantaged by corporate actions.
13. kid | 05.13.09
I concur with NotW, the consumer needs a choice. But Windows provides a barrier to entry for many applications, not just the browser…
“If we own the key “franchises” built on top of the operating system, we dramatically widen the “moat” that protects the operating system business…. We hope to make a lot of money off these franchises, but even more important is that they should protect our Windows royalty per PC…. And success in those businesses will help increase the opportunity for future pricing discretion.” ~ Microsoft senior executive.
14. Mike | 05.13.09
Chrome is a piece of junk. I used it for awhile and got tired of it’s goofy quirks.
15. Ray Perryman | 05.13.09
I installed Chrome and quickly uninstalled it when it took over my computer and I could not get around it! It would not allow me to update standard programs such as Java, Ad aware, and blocked access to every email add on such as pictures etc.
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1. A Non Name | 05.12.09
IE has led to an explosion in Spyway, Adware, and Viruses. Generally, the majority of Malware is the result of poor security implemented by Internet Explorer. I say, good riddance.