Google Vs Microsoft: A Guide to The Ultimate War

On July 9th, 2009 Google made a big announcement. It said it will be lauching Chrome OS by the end of this year. Its said that speed, simplicity and security would be its salient features. The OS is designed for low-cost notebooks. A big news for the IT world.....and this should have made the top brass of Microsoft raise their eyebrows!

This news is very significant considering the fact that Windows is the no.1 OS, with a market share of an amazing 90%, and its closest competitor, Apple Mac OS X, with a market share of only 8%!

Google is the no.1 search engine and has a leading email service (Gmail) and other popular applications like Google Earth, Google Maps and so on. Microsoft, on the other hand, dominates the software applications market with is most popular OS , Windows and Microsoft Office.

The signs of Google trying to capture the OS and internet market were clearly seen, when it launched Chrome web browser in September 2008. Though it is fast and is based on Javasript, till now only 2% of the internet users throughout the world are using Chrome.

One question that does arise in everyone's mind is why the announcement now? Why at a time when Windows is going to launch Windows 7 in October 2009 and Apple is going to launch Snow Leopard on September 22nd, 2009?

There could be several reasons. One could be to divert media attention from the launch of Windows 7, which is to be launched in October 2009. Second could be to tell Microsoft indirectly to go back to the drawing board again.

Some believe that Chrome OS would not stand a chance against Windows while some are saying Chrome would overthrow Windows. I think its best to wait and watch the response of users to Chrome, rather than speculating on it.

To know more about what Google will gain and lose by the launch...click the link below

http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=21004

Where does Apple fit in the picture? Being a fan of OS X, I feel now its the right time for Apple to make certain strategic moves. One is to make Mac OS X compatible on all platforms, second is to bring down the price of Mac OS X to that of Windows or make it freely available (like a trial version) to all users. If they like Mac OS X and want to use it futher, Apple should ask them to pay a fee for it.....

This should be done soon. Other wise who knows, Chrome may overtake Windows and capture the no.1 positon for many years to come.

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