Google vs. Microsoft — the 100-word version
The New York Times spent an epic 3,800 words on a truth known to everyone in Silicon Valley: Google is competing with Microsoft in email and productivity apps. Steve Lohr got lots of time with Google CEO Eric Schmidt — but attributes his failure to get any good quotes from Schmidt to Schmidt's caginess. Here's a version that skips the useless talking points from Microsoft and Google and just gets down to the scant few numbers Lohr managed to assemble. Bottom line: Microsoft doesn't have much to worry about. Yet. Lohr doesn't note this stat: 73 percent of consumers surveyed by NPD have noever even heard of Google Apps.
Eric Schmidt career competing against Microsoft. Google offering word processing applications and spreadsheets. Epic business battle. Cloud computing. Microsoft sees a Web future tethered to its desktop PC software. In order to succeed, Google needs to win corporations. About 2,000 companies are signing up for Google Apps every day. Companies with more than 50 users, charge of $50 a year per user. A few large companies, notably General Electric and Procter & Gamble, are at least trying out Google Apps. About 160 employees of BankFirst Financial Services, a small bank in Macon, Miss., have been using Gmail for about two months. BankFirst isn't using Google's online word processing, presentation and spreadsheets, a package known as Google Docs. According to Compete.com, a research firm, Google Docs is gaining popularity. It had 1.6 million users in November, seven times as many as a year earlier. Office may continue to be an outstanding product, but Microsoft may not be able to charge as much for it.
