Comments on: Google Apps: The Future or Yesterday’s War? http://www.mondaynote.com/2010/11/22/google-apps-the-future-or-yesterday%e2%80%99s-war/ Media, Tech & Business Models Sun, 19 May 2013 06:55:56 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: tom b http://www.mondaynote.com/2010/11/22/google-apps-the-future-or-yesterday%e2%80%99s-war/#comment-8584 tom b Fri, 26 Nov 2010 19:25:24 +0000 http://www.mondaynote.com/?p=3284#comment-8584 If Google had any talent outside of search and acquired products (sketchup; Picasa) I would be worried that someday they would produce a decent Droid OS for phones. As things stand, I don't see that ever happening under the current management. Long: GOOG, AAPL If Google had any talent outside of search and acquired products (sketchup; Picasa) I would be worried that someday they would produce a decent Droid OS for phones. As things stand, I don’t see that ever happening under the current management.

Long: GOOG, AAPL

]]> By: Charles http://www.mondaynote.com/2010/11/22/google-apps-the-future-or-yesterday%e2%80%99s-war/#comment-8544 Charles Wed, 24 Nov 2010 16:45:07 +0000 http://www.mondaynote.com/?p=3284#comment-8544 One use case does not make a product. If your argument is that no impartial critic has done a full review of Google Apps, then you have successfully confirmed your hypothesis through this article. I don't think anyone questions the fact that rich word processing and publishing use cases are currently better accomplished via desktop applications such as [MS or Open] Office. However, you fail to acknowledge the core benefits of Google Apps and cloud applications as a whole: - Access the same data from any device - Collaboration is better in the cloud - Innovation is faster in the cloud - Costs are directly proportional to number of employees - No time spent "keeping the lights on" for your server infrastructure. - No maintenance and upgrades - Backups and high-availability are included Your points are well taken that you should use the right tool for the job, but your overall conclusion is myopic and fails to take into account the full picture. One use case does not make a product. If your argument is that no impartial critic has done a full review of Google Apps, then you have successfully confirmed your hypothesis through this article.

I don’t think anyone questions the fact that rich word processing and publishing use cases are currently better accomplished via desktop applications such as [MS or Open] Office. However, you fail to acknowledge the core benefits of Google Apps and cloud applications as a whole:

- Access the same data from any device
- Collaboration is better in the cloud
- Innovation is faster in the cloud
- Costs are directly proportional to number of employees
- No time spent “keeping the lights on” for your server infrastructure.
- No maintenance and upgrades
- Backups and high-availability are included

Your points are well taken that you should use the right tool for the job, but your overall conclusion is myopic and fails to take into account the full picture.

]]> By: Mark http://www.mondaynote.com/2010/11/22/google-apps-the-future-or-yesterday%e2%80%99s-war/#comment-8484 Mark Tue, 23 Nov 2010 06:17:36 +0000 http://www.mondaynote.com/?p=3284#comment-8484 Google makes money out of almost every webpage through something called as adsense, 85 percent of websites have google adsense ads, so google is making money out of not just google.com, but also every website page view. Admob serves 1 billion ad impressions per day on android and IPhone apps, I am not even talking about google maps, google mail, google apps(30 million who probably log into it every single day), did I tell about youtube ? lots and lots of websites, blogs, tweets, IMs have youtube videos embedded inside it. And youtube videos are watched even inside facebook(I wonder how much time is spent in facebook watching youtube videos). And guess what social is not the only game in town, geoweb(maps, earth etc), travel, mobile, ecommerce, cloud computing , telecommunication all are part of the online life. Facebook does not dominate any of the above. Got to wait and see how facebook messages pans out, this is the first significant innovation from facebook in a long time(and that is also copied from google wave :) ) Facebook deals also looks kinda interesting, but amazon and ebay are way too strong ecommerce players and google will join them if and when they buy groupon. Google makes money out of almost every webpage through something called as adsense, 85 percent of websites have google adsense ads, so google is making money out of not just google.com, but also every website page view. Admob serves 1 billion ad impressions per day on android and IPhone apps, I am not even talking about google maps, google mail, google apps(30 million who probably log into it every single day), did I tell about youtube ? lots and lots of websites, blogs, tweets, IMs have youtube videos embedded inside it. And youtube videos are watched even inside facebook(I wonder how much time is spent in facebook watching youtube videos). And guess what social is not the only game in town, geoweb(maps, earth etc), travel, mobile, ecommerce, cloud computing , telecommunication all are part of the online life. Facebook does not dominate any of the above. Got to wait and see how facebook messages pans out, this is the first significant innovation from facebook in a long time(and that is also copied from google wave :) ) Facebook deals also looks kinda interesting, but amazon and ebay are way too strong ecommerce players and google will join them if and when they buy groupon.

]]> By: Jean-Louis Gassée http://www.mondaynote.com/2010/11/22/google-apps-the-future-or-yesterday%e2%80%99s-war/#comment-8482 Jean-Louis Gassée Tue, 23 Nov 2010 05:48:29 +0000 http://www.mondaynote.com/?p=3284#comment-8482 @Mark: Yes, Google has more "users' than FB. But for what? Search? FB generates about 25% of all pageviews in the US and FB users spend far more time on FB than on Google "properties". @Mark: Yes, Google has more “users’ than FB. But for what? Search? FB generates about 25% of all pageviews in the US and FB users spend far more time on FB than on Google “properties”.

]]> By: Jean-Louis Gassée http://www.mondaynote.com/2010/11/22/google-apps-the-future-or-yesterday%e2%80%99s-war/#comment-8481 Jean-Louis Gassée Tue, 23 Nov 2010 05:46:43 +0000 http://www.mondaynote.com/?p=3284#comment-8481 @David Mold: You're right, PDF isn't an image. The point I'm making isn't a technical one, it's a naive user one: I can combine objects to make the document I want. It works in one context, desktop apps, and it doesn't in Google Apps (or Windows Live for that matter). I'm my wife's Mac chauffeur: do we think she cares about the difference between a PDF and a PNG? Drag & Drop works in one case, it doesn't work in the other. JLG @David Mold: You’re right, PDF isn’t an image. The point I’m making isn’t a technical one, it’s a naive user one: I can combine objects to make the document I want. It works in one context, desktop apps, and it doesn’t in Google Apps (or Windows Live for that matter). I’m my wife’s Mac chauffeur: do we think she cares about the difference between a PDF and a PNG? Drag & Drop works in one case, it doesn’t work in the other. JLG

]]> By: David Mold http://www.mondaynote.com/2010/11/22/google-apps-the-future-or-yesterday%e2%80%99s-war/#comment-8479 David Mold Tue, 23 Nov 2010 05:19:15 +0000 http://www.mondaynote.com/?p=3284#comment-8479 Google Apps = fail, just because you don't realize a PDF is not an image? Google Apps = fail, just because you don’t realize a PDF is not an image?

]]> By: Gregor http://www.mondaynote.com/2010/11/22/google-apps-the-future-or-yesterday%e2%80%99s-war/#comment-8447 Gregor Mon, 22 Nov 2010 19:04:34 +0000 http://www.mondaynote.com/?p=3284#comment-8447 I really like some of your stuff but you seem to be totally missing the point with Google Apps; its all about email (Gmail for the enterprise). Google even says the rest of the stuff (excluding Calendar) is half-baked. All the the other stuff can mature later, but for the existing price points the corporate email solution is compelling. The example you reference is a really sub-optimal way to assess Google Apps. I also agree with Blodget that its not likely to be a money spinner anytime soon, but it's likely to eviscerate the current economics of enterprise software. Also if you want to think of Google Apps in the future, consider the role of Android and all the other communication related technologies that would integrate well with the email app, such as Google Voice, Video conferencing etc. I really like some of your stuff but you seem to be totally missing the point with Google Apps; its all about email (Gmail for the enterprise). Google even says the rest of the stuff (excluding Calendar) is half-baked. All the the other stuff can mature later, but for the existing price points the corporate email solution is compelling. The example you reference is a really sub-optimal way to assess Google Apps.

I also agree with Blodget that its not likely to be a money spinner anytime soon, but it’s likely to eviscerate the current economics of enterprise software. Also if you want to think of Google Apps in the future, consider the role of Android and all the other communication related technologies that would integrate well with the email app, such as Google Voice, Video conferencing etc.

]]> By: Mark http://www.mondaynote.com/2010/11/22/google-apps-the-future-or-yesterday%e2%80%99s-war/#comment-8426 Mark Mon, 22 Nov 2010 09:05:17 +0000 http://www.mondaynote.com/?p=3284#comment-8426 "With its 550 million users today" google has 1.5 billion users today and with a strong and growing android franchise can expect that number to go beyond 2 billion in a year from now. “With its 550 million users today” google has 1.5 billion users today and with a strong and growing android franchise can expect that number to go beyond 2 billion in a year from now.

]]> By: Bob http://www.mondaynote.com/2010/11/22/google-apps-the-future-or-yesterday%e2%80%99s-war/#comment-8424 Bob Mon, 22 Nov 2010 09:02:36 +0000 http://www.mondaynote.com/?p=3284#comment-8424 I think people forget that all those who use facebook also use google, some of the facebook users use twitter, many facebook users use youtube etc. Facebook might have a quarter of all pageviews, but google is also expanding rapidly via google apps, youtube, google maps, google earth, chrome browser etc. I think people forget that all those who use facebook also use google, some of the facebook users use twitter, many facebook users use youtube etc. Facebook might have a quarter of all pageviews, but google is also expanding rapidly via google apps, youtube, google maps, google earth, chrome browser etc.

]]> By: Bob http://www.mondaynote.com/2010/11/22/google-apps-the-future-or-yesterday%e2%80%99s-war/#comment-8422 Bob Mon, 22 Nov 2010 08:51:46 +0000 http://www.mondaynote.com/?p=3284#comment-8422 google apps main selling point is gmail, google docs come later. They also have an interesting thing in google apps marketplace. 30 million is nothing to sneeze at. Google is not fighting the wrong war, it is a necessary war for google. Do you think microsoft would've stopped investing in bing or allying with facebook if google had stopped pushing google apps ? And I find the argument that google does not know real customer use case because they employ engineers very tiresome, get serious what do facebook, microsoft employ ? artists ? mechanics ? car drivers ? doctors ?, they also employ engineers and lots of it. A technology company employs engineers. Most people do not need spreadsheet, excel, powerpoint. Those are not mass consumption tools, email is a mass consumption tool. Everybody needs an email address, everybody needs a facebook/twitter account, everybody needs a phone and google is doing well in phones(android) and email(gmail), yes they missed out on social, but they have a strong partnership with twitter(the forgotten 2nd cousin of facebook) and they have youtube which by itself is a social media phenomenon. And facebook is not stealing ad revenues from google. Bing might be stealing a little but not facebook, facebook is nowhere(yet) in search advertising. And you have forgotten a killer advantage of google apps, it is vastly more affordable than microsoft webapps or office365 or whatever they are calling it now, which is a big draw for customers in a recessionary economy. Why do you care what the big guys think and do. Why don't you trust google when google says there are more than 30 million users of google apps. Sure there may be a few disgruntled users, but by and large most are happy. And also where did you get 50 million dollar number from ? I believe the number is closer to 250 million dollars per years(around 5 million paying customers) google apps main selling point is gmail, google docs come later. They also have an interesting thing in google apps marketplace. 30 million is nothing to sneeze at. Google is not fighting the wrong war, it is a necessary war for google. Do you think microsoft would’ve stopped investing in bing or allying with facebook if google had stopped pushing google apps ? And I find the argument that google does not know real customer use case because they employ engineers very tiresome, get serious what do facebook, microsoft employ ? artists ? mechanics ? car drivers ? doctors ?, they also employ engineers and lots of it. A technology company employs engineers. Most people do not need spreadsheet, excel, powerpoint. Those are not mass consumption tools, email is a mass consumption tool. Everybody needs an email address, everybody needs a facebook/twitter account, everybody needs a phone and google is doing well in phones(android) and email(gmail), yes they missed out on social, but they have a strong partnership with twitter(the forgotten 2nd cousin of facebook) and they have youtube which by itself is a social media phenomenon. And facebook is not stealing ad revenues from google. Bing might be stealing a little but not facebook, facebook is nowhere(yet) in search advertising. And you have forgotten a killer advantage of google apps, it is vastly more affordable than microsoft webapps or office365 or whatever they are calling it now, which is a big draw for customers in a recessionary economy. Why do you care what the big guys think and do. Why don’t you trust google when google says there are more than 30 million users of google apps. Sure there may be a few disgruntled users, but by and large most are happy. And also where did you get 50 million dollar number from ? I believe the number is closer to 250 million dollars per years(around 5 million paying customers)

]]> By: Youssef Rahoui http://www.mondaynote.com/2010/11/22/google-apps-the-future-or-yesterday%e2%80%99s-war/#comment-8418 Youssef Rahoui Mon, 22 Nov 2010 07:59:03 +0000 http://www.mondaynote.com/?p=3284#comment-8418 As an entrepreneur, I find Google Apps a really good tool. The apps by themselves are not as sophisticated as MS ones, and some are really lame, like Contacts, but the most important feature is collaboration. As an entrepreneur, I find Google Apps a really good tool. The apps by themselves are not as sophisticated as MS ones, and some are really lame, like Contacts, but the most important feature is collaboration.

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