Insider Chatter by Donna Bogatin

Good riddance Netscape? Blogosphere reaction to AOL’s announcement of the end of the line for its Netscape Browser ranges from fond nostalgia to intense disdain. Lost in the Internet Explorer vs. Firefox vs. Netscape debate, however, is the still browserless Google!

GBrowser anyone? Not according to Googler in Chief Eric Schmidt and friends. BUT WHY NOT?

It is the Google mission to “organize the world’s information,” all of it, in Google’s cloud, a very BIG cloud. The Schmidt holiday wish: 90 percent of all computing shall reside in the cloud, a Google branded one. After all, if Google succeeds in shifting the world’s computing from the PC to the cloud, it will be a “real improvement for people’s lives” because (Microsoft powered) computers are complex and unreliable, so preaches Schmidt.

The very same computers that Google disses, however, power Google’s cloud computing!

Upon Google’s announcement of its purported Microsoft killing Gear’s in May, I was the lone voice underscoring Google’s love hate relationship with the (Microsoft) desktop. I asked, does it gall CEO Schmidt to have to “Microsoft-enable” Google products? OR, does he get personal satisfaction in “using” Microsoft to achieve his Microsoft domination end-game?

“Because the Web is Google’s platform, we are interested in improving it as much as we can,” so declared Bret Taylor, Google Gears evangelist, of the planned “browser extension for creating offline Web applications.” For a user to access ”Google’s platform,” however, he or she generally arrives via Microsoft, desktop and browser.

Schmidt on Gears:

With Google Gears we’re tackling a key limitation of the browser in order to make it a stronger platform for deploying all types of applications and enabling a better user experience in the cloud.

The Google platform is dependent upon its biggest competitor’s ”browser,” aka Microsoft Internet Explorer, big time.

MORE: There Is NO Google Apps Love in the Enterprise and TINY Google Web Services Lag BIG Microsoft Business and 2008 Social Media Warning: Beware Google AND Facebook and Why Google Worship is a BAD Call in 2008 and Rich Skrenta: Blekko ‘Absurd’ Search Startup Disses King Google

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If only the gOS powered Everex Green gPC TC2502 was smaller, weighed less, was bundled with a monitor and boasted an always-on dialtone: WHO NEEDS GPHONE, then!

The impending Google Phone will undoubtedly be pricier than the Wal-Mart friendly $195 starter Linux PC: 1.5-gigahertz Via processor, 512 megabytes of memory, 80-gigabyte hard drive, DVD-ROM / CD-RW drive…PLUS direct connections to Googley “software” favorites such as gMail, Google Docs & Spreadsheets, Google Calendar, Google Maps, Blogger.

BUT, NO Google Apps! (Google Applications, YES; The Microsoft killing Google Apps itself, NO)

Why OpenOffice.org 2.2, and NO Google Apps? HEY, who says Google hasn’t learned a Microsoft thing or two about making money off the desktop!

PLUS:  Microsoft Vista: Are 88 million Computers Really Doomed? and Google Confirms: Enterprise Apps is NO Microsoft Office Killer

ALSO: Google’s Facebook KILLER Strategy, Microsoft Too and Facebook on the Defensive: Friendster Fate Looms?

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I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now,
From up and down, but still somehow,
It’s cloud illusions I recall,
I really don’t know clouds at all.

Joni Mictchell sang it; Microsoft, Google AND Facebook are living it.

Each of the three technology powerhouses believes IT not only has the optimal solution to rule the cloud computing future, but has the moral right to do so as well.

Thankfully though, despite incessant bravado from all contenders, neither Microsoft’s monoploy Desktop OS power, OR Google’s search engine dominance, OR Facebook’s worldwide intranet ambitions will directly enable cloud computing rule.

For one very big thing, the cloud itself is cloudy. While the tech blogosphere regaled this week in flaying Microsoft Vista for performance unbecoming, the cloud played a nasty trick on some of the blogosphere’s favorite Websites: Craigslist, Technorati…darkened by an infrastructure perfect storm.

For another thing, the typical user–enterprise or consumer–has not shown a willingness to turn over their entire lives to the cloud.

Moreover, each of the cloud competitors has its own unique challenges dampening their heavenly computing prospects:

Microsoft–Desktop software business model legacy, “uncool,” lackluster track record in Web services…

Google–Lightweight Web applications, consumer-focused mindset, privacy pariah…

Facebook–Closed Web service, adolescent-focused mindset, behavioral targeting minefield…

GOOD! Who wants ANY COMPANY dominating ANYTHING!

SEE: Autonomy vs. Google Search Appliance? No Contest: Google Enterprise Gets Defensive and Who Needs Microsoft Desktop? Google AND Facebook

PLUS Eric Schmidt: Google Cures What Ails the World

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Disclaimer: “Take Over” is a ludicrous claim, in the words of Jeremy Toeman, AND hyperbole is ludicrous as well!

Nevertheless, a blueprint for “how Apple will use the iPhone to take over the wireless industry,” is offered by Scott Karp, in six convenient paragraphs.

Toeman sees things differently, underscoring the need for ”domain expertise and the difference between the Web world and the device world.”

To put things in perspective, “Do you have any idea the sheer volume of mobile handsets sold worldwide?” Toeman asks:

There are a lot fewer people influenced by style and experience in the phone industry than in others.  The Razr (aka the most successful cell phone of all time) moved 50M units in 4 years.  And that’s been THE trendy phone to-date, and you can get them for next-to-nothing already.

The turnover rate in mobile phones in the US is under two years and dropping.  In countries like Hong Kong it’s hovering just over 3 months.  So Apple has to not only have the “best” phone (already questionable), but they must sustain that position continuously.

Don’t forget that the mobile OS industry is much less locked-down than the PC industry, where the only competition takes 5 years to put out a terrible upgrade to their OS.  There are 4 other solid mobile operating systems for manufacturers to choose from, all of which allow for tremendous device flexibility.

Unlike the PC industry which operates on margins so bad that a single tech support call makes a PC unprofitable, there’s plenty of money in mobile.  LG, Samsung, Moto, and Nokia (to name a few) will not bend-over quite as peacefully as Compaq, Dell, Gateway, and Sony (you know Sony, right, makers of my hunk-o-laptop?) have to the competition.

BUT, Toeman merely debunks a wireless industry take over by Apple scenario. Karp actually under promised in his headline and over delivered in his post: He signs off by pronouncing Apple to be the preordained ruler of the entire computing and entertainment universe, Microsoft and Google be damned!

What Apple really wants is to sell unlocked iPhones that can be used on any network — and I believe they will pull it off. Thus, Apple will do to the wireless carriers and other cell phone makers what they did to the music industry and makers of digital music players — they will completely take over.

From there, Apple will turn its attention to the last great battle — PCs. Once you own both an iPod and an iPhone, you’re going to look at your Windows PC and ask yourself — what am I thinking?

While Karp does not specifically reference Google in his wistful Apple rules the world scenario, any Microsoft killer strategy requires “taking over” Google as well, the ruler of the Web, Google’s anti-Microsoft platform.

Eric Schmidt, Google CEO AND Apple Director, NOT at Apple’s service for THAT scenario!

ALSO: Facebook iPhone Verdict: NOT Buying It

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“Because the Web is Google’s platform, we are interested in improving it as much as we can,” intoned Bret Taylor, the evangelist for Google’s strategic developer initiatives upon the much ballyhooed Google Gears announcement.

The Google Web “platform,” however, is unavoidably dependent upon arch rival Microsoft’s desktop platform, a ubiquitous one that Microsoft aims to extend to the Web, one way or another.

“Windows Live moves into next phase with renewed focus on Software & Service,” Microsoft heralds today:

On Nov. 1, 2005, Microsoft announced Windows Live, a set of personal Internet services and software designed to bring together in one place all of the relationships, information and interests people care about most, with enhanced safety and security features across their PC, devices and the Web.

Since then, a great many online products and services have rolled out and become popular with millions of people worldwide, including Windows Live Hotmail, Windows Live Messenger, Windows Live Spaces, Windows Live OneCare and others. Microsoft remains committed to delivering an integrated set of services to help consumers more easily and safety communicate and share online, and is focused on helping enable consumers to extend and enhance their Windows PC experience in particular through connected software and services.

Eighteen months later, what’s the Microsoft Web story? Chris Jones, corporate vice president, Windows Live Experience Program Management:

We’re focused on building rich experiences on top of your Windows PC, offered through Windows Live. It’s a competitive advantage for us because while some companies offer just one or the other, offering software and services together makes for a stronger customer experience. Customers get the responsiveness, the offline access and the other benefits of a rich client, plus the online services benefits of easy sharing and anywhere access.

In the future, expect our software plus services strategy to extend beyond Windows to Microsoft Office and Windows Mobile as well.

So there, Google Gears!

Google CEO Eric Schmidt takes every opportunity to rally “Who needs the PC or a laptop for storage!” in his never ending quest to gather all the world’s information “safely” in the Google worldwide cloud. That is the Google mission.

Nevertheless, he spearheads Google efforts to extend Google to the Desktop, Google Web applications in particular. Google shifted into high Desktop gear with Google Gears.

What’s more, despite Google’s best efforts to supplant the Microsoft Office folder hierarchy with the beloved Google search box, the Microsoft desktop folder legacy prevails, even in Google Web-based applications!

SEE: Google Concedes Microsoft Victory: No More ‘Death to Hierarchy’!

Moreover, Google is vulnerable in its own “platform,” the Cloud. Jones:

We’re releasing Windows Live Folders into managed beta today, which will provide customers with 500 megabytes of online storage at no charge. We see this limited managed beta in the United States right now as just a starting point for us, and we’ll begin collecting input from beta users during the testing process, which will be useful when developing future versions of the service.

Like I’ve said, it’s very important to us that we give our customers multiple options for connecting to family, friends and information, and share information and other things with the people they care about the most.

Sounds very Googley!

ALSO: Google Gets Rocket Scientists on the Cheap: Junk CPMs

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The Google computing mainfest destiny torpedos on, with arch rival and takedown target Microsoft the prime fodder for weakening at the knees.

Just as Google pats itself on the pack for purported “transparency” in penning a new “Public Policy” blog, its latest not so public policy move is nowhere to be found at Google’s new found PR vehicle. No wonder, Google is making an end run around the justice department and state regulators by directly soliciting Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly in seeking an extension of the consent decree in the Microsoft antitrust case to ensure “continued judicial oversight of Microsoft practices.”

Google, of course, believes it doesn’t have to play by anyone’s rules but its own, priding itself on not succumbing to “conventional” business wisdom in all of its endeavors.

Google never “plays ball,” but always plays hard ball, with every single constituency the Googleplex interacts with, including its own users that incredibly show the worldwide number one Internet company so much unrequited love.

SEE: GOOGLE IS NOT YOUR FRIEND

What is Google up to now? Crippling Microsoft.

Despite Google Slaps Microsoft the Monopolist Around by succeeding in requiring Microsoft to change its new Vista operating system to make it more Google Desktop friiendly, Google demands more, much more Microsoft Vista “remedies” in the name of the beloved “consumer,” of course.

Will Google CEO Eric Schmidt continue to assert to the world, with a straight face, that Mountain View is not competing against Redmond?

MORE: Google Masters Art of Influence Peddling and Cisco to Google: Get Real! and Google to World: AdWords Need Political Freedom

PLUS: ZDNet Responds: BUT Does Disclosure Rule?

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