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Preston Gralla's picture
Preston Gralla

Seeing Through Windows

Microsoft's real target: Yahoo, not Google

Microsoft has essentially said it's betting the farm on Internet search and Bing. But it may be that it's real target isn't Google, but instead Yahoo.

The idea that Microsoft could catch Google in search is a pipe dream, even if Microsoft has said that it's willing to spend up to $11 billion on search in the next five years. Google has too much of a head start, as well as the ability and willingness to spend as much money as possible to make sure it stays on top.

But Microsoft doesn't need to be number one in search in order to be successful. If the company could leapfrog Yahoo and become number 2, there's the possibility that its search investment may pay off.

Steve Ballmer recently said that he's open to a "partnership" with Yahoo, but didn't define exactly that that meant. However, he made it clear that Microsoft is no longer interested in buying the company. According to the Guardian, he recently said in a question-and-answer session at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival:

"We have no interest in acquiring Yahoo. What we have said is that we will continue to remain open to a partnership with Yahoo."

The reason he's not interested in Yahoo, I think, is that he believes that Microsoft can grab Yahoo's market search share for less money than it would require to buy the company.

What People Are Saying

yahoo/google

well , i use google for search , the best I've found,
it finds more, well it finds things no matter what i do with yahoo, it still wont find em, well yahoo mail is quicker, but a crash is more catastrophic than with gmail, their other searches , it depends what your looking for though , others may find yahoo better,
although i think yahoo excludes UK results,
am sure it does, why???

Microsoft

i've been faffing around with Linux and trying to do the same things as I could before and come to the conclusion that MS make the best programs and the easiest computer experience, they don't need to dominate google, they just need to keep making the software that allows people to use google and they will be around forever and their employees will be just fine.

Google have dominated the

Google have dominated the search engine scene, they are successfully entering the Web Browsers, all Google needs to do know is actually make computers.

They've actually got a

They've actually got a chance this time. I'm not a Microsoft fan, but I set that aside and gave Bing a side by side comparison with Google for a couple weeks. Bing got me the desired results quicker a larger percentage of the time. I've switched. I know there's a lot of people that will never be able to look themselves in the mirror if they use MS, and a ton of Google fanbois that will use them no matter what, so perhaps Bing won't catch Google, but I certainly expect it to zoom past Yahoo.

Forget Yahoo.

It's now become a roadside kill behind Microsoft.
It is still breathing but it doesn't worth the trip in an ambulance or a blood transfusion. They can be picked up at a convenient time later.

BING?

BING = But It's Not Google

I found Bing to be slower than Google producing the same relevant and irrelevant results. There is nothing to see folks, just keep on walking...errr, googling.

Bingo

Bing Go
Bing B Gone

Thank god the electrons are fully recyclable!