For multiple generations of Americans, Google is a reflex. Even
when it's withheld information, or lead you down a false trail, you return
again and again. You can't help yourself; you're wired to keep going back. But
that's only if you're at home. Elsewhere, with your smartphone as your portal,
you skip the middleman and head directly to the source, the app that sends you
to the nearest cup of coffee or helps you buy a new t-shirt. In other words,
you're not using Google.
As the way of the smartphone renovates the internet, is Google
looking old and in the way? Well, no. Not really. Google still owns 90.46% of the search engine market, up from
it's relatively massive dip of 0.91% in February. This is not the statistic of
a company that's got existential problems.
If Google's not worried now, however, they may want to peer into
the not-so-distant future. Morgan Stanley anticipates Mobile
to surpass desktop by 2014, and already tablets are expected to out-ship desktops
by the end of the year. When people use mobile, they're not as often using
everyone's favorite search engine. They're using Yelp, Siri, and a lot of Facebook, among
other apps.
Which means that Google is the captain of a sinking ship. That is,
if Google does nothing and watches dumbly as the world moves forward without
it. From a company with a secret lab somewhere in San Francisco whose driverless car technology may be
worth trillions, this seems an unlikely outcome.
Google has already taken steps to upgrade it's search engine into
something more 2013 innovative. Introduced in May 2012, the Google Knowledge Graph has
since tripled in size. This engine, which is “moving us closer to the
"Star Trek computer" that [engineer Amit Singhal has] always dreamy of building,” takes into account the variety of meanings in a single term and
tailors the results to your inclining. Location and user preference are taken
into account. Naturally, the tool has also been tailored for mobile devices and
tablets.
When it comes to the world of mobile, Google also has the
dominating factor of Android working in its favor. The group Fairsearch has filed a complaint with
European authorities, making the case that the Android is a “Trojan Horse.” The
company offers its OS to smartphone developers for free, but the companies own
software must be prominently displayed, a tactic intended to “deceive
partner[s], monopolize the mobile marketplace and control consumer data,”
according to the groups lawyer.
The group Fairsearch is made up of several companies, and lead by
Microsoft. The companies are trying desperately to break Google's monopoly on
the continent. These do not sound like accusations leveled against a company
that is not a concern in the mobile world. If anyone's worried about Google's
place in 2013, try not to lose too much sleep. The company is still making 9.9
billion in mobile advertising revenue. No
Google developer is going to starve.
This Article is written by Ivan Thomas of Fueled, New York City based Android application developers.