Andrej Koelewijn

Google used to be a search company making profit on adds. Today’s release of the Nexus One ‘superphone’ illustrates that Google is turning into the next Microsoft: a supplier of software platforms and applications. The Nexus One isn’t a phone, it’s a device to access the web. It’s just another Operating System to use applictions, just like Windows. But instead of fighting Microsoft where it’s currently market leader, it’s fighting Microsoft over future markets:

• Desktop - In a couple of years Mobile hardware (phones, tablets, netbooks) will be more important than desktop hardware for client applications. Google has two operating systems for mobile devices: Chrome OS and Android.
• Servers - Servers are moving into the cloud. Google’s solution here is ofcourse Google App Engine.
• Applications - Desktop applications are being replaced by SAAS/cloud solutions like gmail and Google Docs.

It’s smart not to try and fight Microsoft over their current markets. Markets change, and things that once seemed very important, will not be so important in the future. Who care’s if Windows 7 has 95% of the desktop market, if everybody is using phones and tablets to access their applications? It’s almost like Google implemented search only to distract Microsoft. While Microsoft is chasing search with Bing, Google is killing Microsoft in all other markets.

The year of Linux on the desktop may never come, but the rest of it will be running Linux (android/chrome os/cloud). Microsoft can have the desktop.

Personally, i’m just happy to read that the Nexus One has a great camera with good low light support.