Image Credit

Google started functioning not a very long ago, year 1996, to be precise. Not many would have thought that it will take over the web market, but it did. And not only that, Google’s plans are clearly indicating, it isn’t satiated with just this much. Google is now aiming at Microsoft’s crown jewels, that is, it is now attempting to take a lion’s share of the Operating System’s market. By launching Chrome OS, it will be directly declaring a war against Microsoft.

Microsoft is a very old player in this game. Its Operating Systems are doing well in the market. It was never wary of such a threat as Google, because by the time Google took birth, MS had already spread its empire over a greater part of computer world. But unprecedented growth of Google has now knocked MS off its sleep. Google which was an unknown entity few years back has now become a major web service provider, worldwide. All this in such a short time: all kudos to Google’s hard working team. Google has become worldwide preferred search engine, leaving Microsoft’s Live search nowhere. It launched an explorer few months back, named Google Chrome, which was once again a hit amongst the users. It was pitted against Microsoft’s Internet explorer 7, but lost out to Chrome because of its light weight and speed.

So, I guess everything is going Google’s way right now. It has managed to get the share of the market which was once monopolized by Microsoft. But now, is it wise enough for Google to square against such an experienced competitor? There may be many who are siding Google’s move and the ones who are devoted to Microsoft. Will Google overthrow Microsoft’s age-old empire? Well, lets see their growth and come to a conclusion later.

Square Off:

Google Search vs. MS search: When Google was established, Microsoft was already building on it’s success path. But Google search still managed to win the hearts of internet users. It became so popular that live search became obsolete. MS has launched a new and revamped version of MS live, Bing, which is not so popular amongst users.

Google Docs vs. MS Office: Google launched Google Docs as a competitor to MS office. They provide various new features that MS Office doesn’t. But overall, MS Office wins priority of all users over Google docs.

Gmail vs. Hotmail: Microsoft’s Gmail is bigger, more used and Live messenger is widely used by the people. It has softwares in areas such as Windows Live Meeting, which give company an edge in enterprise. Google’s Gmail and Gtalk are it’s retaliation to Microsoft. These are feature rich but still have some way to go to overcome Hotmail or Live messenger.

Google Earth vs. Visual Earth: Google earth global mapping platform by Google, it has a “Block view” feature wherein you can put yourself on map, look at buildings around you, walk down street, etc. Visual earth is the mapping platform by MS; it is better because is backed by high-res photos taken from low-flying planes.

Android OS vs. Windows Mobile: Google has a good Android OS, which is running on a strong app platform. It’s apps like Youtube and Google maps run well over mobile phones. But with app like Office, Outlook, and Windows Media Player MS still beats Google.

MS Windows vs. Google Chrome: This is the most interesting part. This area is Microsoft’s stronghold. But recent blunders like Vista or Windows ME may prove to be the Achilles’ heel. Google on the other hand is coming up with Chrome OS with features like lightweight, fast, no viruses, malware and security updates etc. These are all speculations and we don’t know what the product is going to be like. For now, MS takes the upper hand, but Chrome seems to come out as a strong competitor.

Who has the X factor?

Google is like a rookie with few wins in his bag, who goes to challenge the big guy in the game. But, Microsoft is way older than Google and its products are synonymous with quality and reliability. So, it is more trusted than Google. MS is continuously improving its age old technology and learning from its mistakes. The firm is delivering problem free goods while Google is innovating and it’s innovating with a bang. So, it has lesser experience of successes and failures. But, its success with Google Search and Chrome Explorer hint of a healthy war between the two. Now people are also acquainted with Google, thus they will surely give a try to its offerings. Therefore, in such a condition, both have their share of advantages.