How worried are Google and Microsoft?

[Cod3rror]

What Apple showed at WWDC must have them very worried, I think.

While Microsoft and Google are doing hit and misses and still getting settled into what they want to do, Apple has decided, their foundation is concrete, the ecosystem that is stable, convenient, very easy to get into and rewarding.

Apple's organisation is just unmatched. While Android and Microsoft's Operating Systems might offer some features iOS still does not have, what Apple has is a very stable and good underlying platform with standardized rules and features that neither Microsoft, nor Google can match.

HomeKit
Headphone MFi - Allowing for 48KHz lossless audio, which will be big with audiophiles
Metal
SpriteKit
iCloud Drive integration
Family Sharing
Seamless and deep integration between iPhone - Mac - iPad
Health app and integration. Apple won't abandon and do it half-way, like Samsung, so companies will build things for this.

Not to mention tons of APIs and features from previous versions of iOS.

And while having such a strong foundation, now they've started integrating Android's features, which are much easier to do than the foundation part, making Android less and less attractive of an option. With iPhone 6, they'll make big screens too.

So IMO, Google and Microsoft have to be really, really worried. Apple have their **** together and they don't.

 

[mclld]

MS yeah, Google lol

 

[AustinIllini]

Neither is worried. Google let's developers improve every part of android and Microsoft still has Office

 

[tbayrgs]

Sigh...they thread is a disaster waiting to happen. Queue the bickering and arguing in three, two, one....

 

[iMacBooked]

I don't think they're going to be that worried. I mean there will always be advantages to any OS over another: for example some MS exclusive software or the way Google implements maps/supports more languages. But you're definitely right about Apple's organisation.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

Yeah I'm sure Google is terrified about how Apple just announced a bunch of features Android has had since Ice Cream Sandwich. Maybe that'll start to chip into the 80% market share Android has.

Apple: leading the way into 3 years ago.

 

[Cod3rror]

Yeah I'm sure Google is terrified about how Apple just announced a bunch of features Android has had since Ice Cream Sandwich. Maybe that'll start to chip into the 80% market share Android has.

Apple: leading the way into 3 years ago.

The problem is Google has no long term answer. They flooded the market with Android devices, but there does not seem to be a long term strategy, I'm sure they have it, but it's not clear where their future lies.

They don't have an answer to Windows and OSX; those platforms are slowly moving into the mobile arena.

 

[tbayrgs]

Yeah I'm sure Google is terrified about how Apple just announced a bunch of features Android has had since Ice Cream Sandwich. Maybe that'll start to chip into the 80% market share Android has.

Apple: leading the way into 3 years ago.

This difference though is that if you were to put an iPhone and Android device with similar specs and identical functionality (for the sake of argument, of course) next to each other, more people would probably choose the iPhone. The Apple brand alone is an advantage in their favor. Many Apple customers are 'fine with less', so to speak, as is evident by the fact that they sell millions of devices using what's arguably a far less capable OS.

So while yes, they're still playing catch up, the new functionality, coupled with the larger devices, likely represents the biggest thread to Android's dominance in a few years. Not saying it's necessarily going to make a huge difference but stands to have a bigger impact than anything we've seen in quite a while.

 

[Oohara]

Well, one can at hope that they're at least starting to feel a bit behind in some areas.

I'm still waiting for more integration between for example Chrome and Android. Like, all this functionality offered by the likes of Pushbullet, MightyText, AirDroid etc - why aren't Google implementing those things directly in Chrome?

I think all this enhanced seamlessness in the Apple ecosystem is what really will draw people in. But Google could do so much more to compete in that area, Chrome is so widely used and we spend so much time in front of our browsers - that's where they could really extend and enhance the Android experience, on any computer!

And MS sure could use something like that to make people actually want to use Explorer...

 

[Stuntman06]

I'm hoping Apple, Google and MS are worried about each other. It would give them more incentive to improve their products. They probably have been worrying about each other for years now. If Google weren't worried about Apple, they wouldn't have released Android. The same with MS and Windows Phone. Apple was probably worried about Google and MS which is why they have made such improvements in iOS 8 and will probably release phones with larger screen sizes. The biggest sign that Apple is worried about Google and MS is that Apple bashed them in this year's WWDC.

 

[irDigital0l]

Probably not worried.

In some cases Apple is playing catch up in some areas.

Also Google/Microsoft have probably been working on their own new cool features too. Can't wait for Google I/O.

I think when hardware comes out later this fall like the iPhone 6, better iPads, iWatch, and MacBooks they will be more worried.

 

[dojoman]

Yeah I'm sure Google is terrified about how Apple just announced a bunch of features Android has had since Ice Cream Sandwich. Maybe that'll start to chip into the 80% market share Android has.

Apple: leading the way into 3 years ago.

Really? Which features?

 

[Stuntman06]

The problem is Google has no long term answer. They flooded the market with Android devices, but there does not seem to be a long term strategy, I'm sure they have it, but it's not clear where their future lies.

They don't have an answer to Windows and OSX; those platforms are slowly moving into the mobile arena.

I get the impression that Google's long term strategy lies in the cloud. All of their services are cloud based. The Chrome browser auto syncs between the PC and mobile devices. They are pushing the Chromebooks. They have Google Docs. It seems they are really trying to move away from local storage. They want everything in the cloud.

 

[Oohara]

Yeah I'm sure Google is terrified about how Apple just announced a bunch of features Android has had since Ice Cream Sandwich. Maybe that'll start to chip into the 80% market share Android has.

Apple: leading the way into 3 years ago.

Sure, Android has them. But Apple is putting all of that into such a neat, coherent package. I'm on Android since over a year now and I've been loving how dynamic Android is and how much can be done with it that I never could on iOS - especially the stuff I mentioned above - but I really do find myself getting a tad tired of all the tweaking and setting up I always have to do. And things never quite seem to gel together, I get my notifications on the PC screen and I can upload files wirelessly to the phone in seconds etc etc, it's all great, but it gets tiresome that everything looks different and sometimes looks a bit glitchy etc.

I have to say I'm actually far more into the idea of getting a Mac + iPhone + iPad and so on now than I was a few days ago - I just dig the seamlessness of it all, and in the end I really don't care if most of the components of Apple's new getup has been done in Android since a long time ago. And I have a feeling a lot of potential new Apple customers won't care either.

 

[iMacBooked]

I get the impression that Google's long term strategy lies in the cloud. All of their services are cloud based. The Chrome browser auto syncs between the PC and mobile devices. They are pushing the Chromebooks. They have Google Docs. It seems they are really trying to move away from local storage. They want everything in the cloud.

That's what I think too. If Google would actually have any long term strategy at all, then it has to be the cloud, otherwise I don't see the picture.

 

[irDigital0l]

Really? Which features?

Really?

To name some that I remember....

- Customizable keyboards
- Widgets
- Actionable Notifications
- Camera modes
- Family Sharing (For Android its more like profiles)
- Google Drive

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

Who else makes their own hardware and own OS exclusive to their own products? So of course Apple is going to have some pros that others can't really compete with. But Apple also has cons that others don't have to worry about.

Being that said, I do think MS should be worried about WP. WP big screens were probably their biggest selling point against the iPhone. A Lumia 1520 would be a hard sell against a 5.5 screen iPhone.

 

[Liquorpuki]

The problem is Google has no long term answer. They flooded the market with Android devices, but there does not seem to be a long term strategy, I'm sure they have it, but it's not clear where their future lies.

They don't have an answer to Windows and OSX; those platforms are slowly moving into the mobile arena.

Google's in the ad business, not the hardware business. They don't care

MS's busy trying to carve out a hybrid market. They don't care either

The one really cool thing coming out of WWDC was Swift. Everything else was incremental innovation or in many cases, Apple just catching up to their competitors.

 

[ritholtz]

This thread is like a football club fans thread. Why worry? Just buy what ever fits your requirements.
If not google/ms, there will be some one else filling the gap. I have windows laptop. I always liked drag and drop method rather than itunes sync setup. That being said if there is a bigger iphone available, I would have bought it instead of S5.

 

[mib1800]

There is no worries because apple is greedy. Even IF ios has the same functionalities but at twice the price of others will ensure apple slowly wither away.

Of course iphone will die faster if the Telcos do away with heavy subsidies. In most countries where there is little or no subsidies apple is being slaughtered.

 

[gotluck]

Many of apples features require full devotion to the ecosystem. That alone gives ms and google breathing room.

 

[Robster3]

Sigh...they thread is a disaster waiting to happen. Queue the bickering and arguing in three, two, one....

Yeah wait to jrwizzle and techgod find it

 

[tjl3]

There is no worries because apple is greedy. Even IF ios has the same functionalities but at twice the price of others will ensure apple slowly wither away.

Of course iphone will die faster if the Telcos do away with heavy subsidies. In most countries where there is little or no subsidies apple is being slaughtered.

Just don't see it unless Android Silver is a huge success. How long do you think companies will stay in business if they fail to make a profit?

 

[SomeGuyDude]

Really? Which features?

Let's see.

- Third party keyboards

- Search results in Google Now based on what you were doing on your laptop

- Delete/archive email and messages from the notification bar

- Voice search without actually waking up the phone

- Widgets

I'm too tired to dig through the rest.

This is just like when Apple introduced the amazing NOTIFICATION DRAWER OMGGGGGGG

 

[pdqgp]

Many Apple customers are 'fine with less', so to speak, as is evident by the fact that they sell millions of devices using what's arguably a far less capable OS. So while yes, they're still playing catch up, the new functionality, coupled with the larger devices, likely represents the biggest thread to Android's dominance in a few years.

Meh....the fact that people pay more for less and will switch primarily for a larger version of the same doesn't surprise me. People voted Obama in office a second time too

The problem is Google has no long term answer. They flooded the market with Android devices, but there does not seem to be a long term strategy, I'm sure they have it, but it's not clear where their future lies.

I don't see Google flooding the market; I see all types of manufacturers introducing various Android phones each with specific target markets. However that said, the long term future is cloud based open architecture that doesn't limit their users....unlike Apple.

While Microsoft and Google are doing hit and misses and still getting settled into what they want to do, Apple has decided, their foundation is concrete, the ecosystem that is stable, convenient, very easy to get into and rewarding.

Another meh...iOS and Android and even Windows Mobile are all stable. The foundation of iOS is solid, but it's limiting and really quite stale.

Apple's organisation is just unmatched. While Android and Microsoft's Operating Systems might offer some features iOS still does not have, what Apple has is a very stable and good underlying platform with standardized rules and features that neither Microsoft, nor Google can match.

Apple does a great job of marketing but Android has more than just "some" features that iOS doesn't. They have quite a few and it's Apple that's finally trying to catch up or copy the competition. That's what they call innovation. Overall though what you see as non standard rules and features, many of us see as far more advantages usability vs what iOS and their stale standardization offers.

I've been controlling my HVAC, DVR, TV, Roku, Media System overall even my car with my phone for quite a while now. I've also been using cloud based storage for all my music and files as well. Sharing....OMG, please...Apple is just now getting around to this? Really? I've also had my pedometer, Polar heart rate monitor, sleep monitor, etc. integrated with my android for months.

Let's hold our breath because Apple is about to release larger phones....gasp....it only took how many years?

So IMO, Google and Microsoft have to be really, really worried. Apple have their **** together and they don't.

Really? I guess if having their **** means finally offering what others have had for a while now, then so be it. In the mean time, those others are working on what Apple will likely be looking to copy over the next 5 years.

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- Voice search without actually waking up the phone

LOL! How true. I got a kick out of an article that mentioned that Siri now has a new trick that users don't have to actually touch their phone to wake it up....OMG how funny and old is that!

iCloud Photo Library updates are all so funny and stale when compared to Android too. Imaging being able to access all your photos and videos from the cloud from any device! WOW! How innovative....and sliding your finger to adjust multiple effects...another hold your breath moment...yawn....

SNL doesn't have to even make this **** up for sketches...it's already done for them!