DISQUS

Victor Panlilio · 1 month ago

I, too, use Google apps extensively on my Macs and on my iPhone, but the reality is that unless and until internet connectivity is as reliable and as ubiquitous as, say, electricity, I won't be relying only on cloud-based apps for everything. The lesson of the Danger/Sidekick data loss fiasco is still too fresh to ignore. Los Angeles may have voted to "Go Google" but the company I work for (with over 30,000 employees, about the same number as the LA City Govt.) is not convinced of the cost-benefit of outsourced email.

Louis Gray · 1 month ago

High speed broadband, preferably wireless, is the modern equivalent of electricity for sure. Without it, much of this argument needs some work. The Danger/Sidekick data loss example is harrowing, but cannot be seen as a failure of the cloud so much as the failure of an incapable infrastructure. When was the last time we heard about Google losing data that way? I can't remember.

timjones17 · 1 month ago

nah, Apple would be the hippie turned yuppie- smug, self-absorb, superiority complex; forgot about smashing the locks, freeing the masses, instead now drives a bimmer, pampering the poodle. Microsoft is your everyday folk, plain, unassuming, gets the job done, Google is the younger version.

Louis Gray · 1 month ago

Microsoft is certainly plain. I'll give you that. I don't think Google ever wants to be plain, even if they grow to be ubiquitous in more places.

Sachin · 1 month ago

Google is all this and much more and dangerously growing...Adsense, Adwords, obviously Search Engine - the only USEFUL search engine, for more refer labs.....the time is not far away that we can spend our life without buying anything from Microsoft...

Ron Schott · 1 month ago

"Maybe soon I'll also be going Google in a way I never expected."

I vaguely remember one of the tech bloggers (maybe you, maybe Scoble) saying that Google had something bigger than Wave that was going to drop before the end of the year. That last line sounds awfully pregnant. What do you know that we don't know yet?

Louis Gray · 1 month ago

Google doesn't preannounce, and they are very good at avoiding leaks. If there is a rumor out there, it wasn't from me. Promise.

John McLachlan · 1 month ago

Sadly, I see it coming as well (Google turning Apple fans around), but oh, if it happens, I hope Google can make their apps look better than they do. I detest the user interface so far.

Louis Gray · 1 month ago

I believe Apple's user interface design trumps Google's in almost every respect, and I assume most people would agree with me. Some of their products look as if they were designed by engineers, and in some cases, they no doubt were. But I trust them to improve.

Doug Schumacher · 1 month ago

Really enjoyed this post, Luis.

At this point, it's a clean break for me. Apple for hardware, Google for software. And I'm relatively happy with how it all fits together. (I did say 'relatively'.) The first thing to change that for me would be Android. If it advances with significantly more cloud features than the iPhone, with a reasonable interface and app selection, I'd jump.

Between the two companies, Apple tends to bring on large but infrequent changes, while Google seems to roll out new developments (or their open source communities, a big part of the issue), on a regular basis. Looking at the direction everything from tech dev to marketing is going, I'd have to bet on Google's strategy, long-term.

Louis Gray · 1 month ago

Whether it trumps iPhone right away or never does, it is Android that is making us think just a bit more about crossing Google over from just the Web to hardware also (co-branded or not). The Droid is a good product, period. Google's "publish code often" strategy is fantastic for them, while traditional OS vendors get slammed for point releases. Definitely something in Google's favor.

Altaire4 · 1 month ago

As a die hard Apple fan I have to give Google alot of credit for the incredible work they have done.
Android 2.0 one year from today will give both Microsoft, Symbian and Nokia some really bad heartburn. Apple still has a slight technological edge on the smartphone industry but with Google nipping at its heels ... we could see some exciting and bold new products coming from Apple.

Its All Good !

Go AAPL,

Altaire4

Louis Gray · 1 month ago

Thanks for visiting Altaire4. I feel like I know you from decades of Mac punditry and our sharing the same communities. I can't hate Google the way we used to hate Microsoft. Their products and people are just too good! Should be fun to see things develop.

GrowMap · 1 month ago

I feel like Chicken Little here or the lone voice crying in the wilderness - or at least one of them. Taking the easy path by using products offered by the global elite of multi-national corporations puts your entire life and the survival of your businesses in their hands.

I know most will dismiss this comment as they have ignored my warnings and the warnings of others who also see the potential disasters on the horizon. I ask your indulgence just once. I wrote about a real life example using posts made by ProBlogger in my post Why You Should NOT Rely Solely on Google Organic Listings for Traffic.

I chose to use him as my example because I recognized a pattern he wrote about that I frequently see affecting ecommerce stores showing that during the holiday shopping season his traffic tanked three years in a row.

When Google knows everything there is to know about your business - including how to raise their income by "encouraging" you to pay more for advertising whenever they wish - do you really believe they won't ever take advantage? If you do I can either show you some proof or offer you that bridge for sale out in Arizona.

Louis Gray · 1 month ago

I don't worry so much about the "global elite of multi-national corporations" when it comes to trusted companies with good products. Google does a smart thing in letting much of its data be open, and exportable. They really believe in this in a way that I don't expect we will ever here from people like Microsoft and Facebook. Worrying about Google knowing everything about your business is like worrying about the Government or the Web. There's just not enough tin foil hats to pass around. :)

Andre Alforque · 1 month ago

I happily welcome Google! I'm not a diehard PC or Mac fan, I'm a user of good technology. I use Mac to edit photos; I use PC to work. Google has some good stuff that I use as well. I just love seeing technology evolve; I hate the PC and Mac camps -- stop camping!

Louis Gray · 1 month ago

Being in a Mac camp or PC camp is just plain good fun, with decades of history. The Web is changing the world before our eyes, and who knows what next decade's battle will be?

Louis Halpern · 1 month ago

I'm with Matt Cutts on the goal to avoid Microsoft software.

Am using open office, Google Premiere Edition, Word Press, Mac's, Ubuntu, Twitter & Google wave.

Louis Gray · 1 month ago

Is Twitter a new Google product? :)

Name · 1 month ago

Without customer support Google is a second rate product.

Louis Gray · 1 month ago

Without customer support, any product has issues. I have found Google's engineers and representatives easily accessible in many areas. Some have said because I am fairly visible on this blog and elsewhere, I get special treatment, but I don't think that happens often. They truly want their products to work well for the masses.

Bret Piontek · 1 month ago

I'm a die hard Mac guy, but there is no denying how awesome Google's applications are.

I have Office 2004 for Mac, and I've found that using Google docs is just easier (I do love Pages and Keynote, but I only use them when I want to make something look stylish).

Google pretty much syncs the majority of all my stuff (contacts, calendar, etc.) When I did have an Android phone, I was really happy how easy it was to integrate Google apps with OS X.

Personally I'd rather just rather use Google apps with an iPhone. Someday soon hopefully.

Louis Gray · 1 month ago

Every time I boot up my Office products and my Mac slows to a crawl, I think about what the alternative must be. Do I need a new laptop just to deal with Word and Excel? If I could Go Google and get this promised land without the slowdowns, that would be amazing.

suzyoge · 1 month ago

I was the 1st customer in the T-shop last February when the G1 launched in NL! My only employee was customer number 2. Google aps are so versatile for small business!

I got over my Apple crush when my fairly new Power Book was damaged 2 years ago. I drop and spill things, so I can't justify the premium for a dwindling differential.

The G1 is Great(except camera). I'm drooling over the Droid, but Europe doesn't love Motorola, so we'll see what comes our way next...android, of course.

Louis Gray · 1 month ago

I think it is safe to love Apple and love Google products at the same time. Sorry to hear you dropped your PowerBook! That's a rough one. My wife did the same when presenting in her high school classroom, and I had to pony up to buy a replacement the next day. Ouch. The Droid is pretty cool, and I hope Apple has an answer to it that's more than the 3G(S).

Wayne Sutton · 1 month ago

I would say yes but for now only on the software side. Mac for the hardware, (MackBook & iPhone) and google for the software. Mac OS X for the system until or unless Google OS is released and installed on a hackintosh. As a fellow mac user, I don't use address book or iCal apps, but I do use iWork, and some adobe desktop apps as needed. I think we're just seeing the beginning of Google's desktop /web OS take over but for now, I'm staying a Mac/Apple fan.

Webomatica · 1 month ago

Interesting thought experiment - I'd agree Google is a second to Apple in many ways - trust them with data over Microsoft or Facebook. But two things would hold me back from going Apple free: (as you mention) the hardware, and that entertainment ecosystem of iPhone + iTunes + Apple TV. I *need* to play Drop7 and Metor Blitz.

Kees Romkes · 1 month ago

All I miss about Google is it's ability to be jawdropping. Technologically yes, but you don't get people enthousiastic by pure technology. It should feel smooth, smell great and taste awesome if you catch my drift.

I use Mac hardware and software for the "smooth interface" and shiney looks, with a decent google backbone (iCal, address book, gmail all synced up with iPhone/MBP) as technologic powerhouse.

In the end I don't think Google and Apple actually want to compete, and that we, the crowd, start comparing their products, where they just thrive not competing (more revenue, less fighting) and keeping their prices (absurdly, for some products) high.

jinkhet · 1 month ago

Great article, Louis!

This is the exact situation I've found myself in, and other than my Macbook Pro, almost every service is from Google (calendar, mail, voice, contacts, RSS, docs). When I unloaded my iPhone for a G1 during the winter (I've since upgraded to the horribly-named "myTouch" and left AT&T), that was also the end of any consideration of MobileMe as well. The fact that google supports open standards (for most of their products) and data portability generally keeps me from getting _too_ nervous about them.

secretsushi · 1 month ago

I am a relatively new "die hard Apple fan" of about 4 years and I would not touch a Windows machine with a 10 foot pole right now. However, I have recently started using Google apps much more. I decided to try using Gmail as my email app a few months ago and have stuck with it (for now). I am also using Google docs more than ever. If I want to get into complex documents, editing, and formatting I take my documents offline and use the iWork suite.

I am very comfortable pairing my appreciation for Apple products with the great apps provided by Google. The latter has not gotten close to replacing anything Apple has to offer at the moment. I am attached at the hip (literally) to my iPhone and cannot see being compelled to switch to an Android phone.

Louis, do you feel the Android mobile platform outshines the others like... say.. the Palm Pre's OS?

wook · 1 month ago

I sensed several years ago that Google, like Microsoft, was getting too big and imposing and ubiquitous for their (and our) own good. So I stopped using Google altogether and I don't miss it one bit. I now use alternatives to both Google and Microsoft and I'm fine with that.
Just because Google or Microsoft makes a product doesn't meant you have to use them. I don't. Of course, I realize that in the near future, Google will usurp Microsoft as the dominant computer services company -- offering everything from web search, mail, programming languages (Go), office products, smartphone software, etc. And the bigger and more powerful they get, the more people are going to embrace them, and then eventually a small group of people are going to start to resist. This is not unlike what happened to Microsoft in the 90s, and to IBM before that.

And, of course, this will open the way for the next company to come along. Of course, Google won't go away, but again, just because Google exists doesn't mean you have to use their services or products.