Hear That Bing Ding: A Warning for Google Web Search
November 23, 2016
Bing. Bing. Bing. The sound reminds me of a broken elevator door in the Block & Kuhl when I was but a wee lad. Bing. Bing. Bing. Annoying? You bet.
I read “Microsoft Corporation Can Defeat Alphabet Inc in Search.” I enjoy these odd, disconnected from the real world write ups predicting that Microsoft will trounce Google in a particular niche. This particular write up seizes upon the fluff about Microsoft having an “intelligence fabric.” Then with a spectacular leap, which ignores the fact that more than 90 percent of the humans use Google Web search, suggests that Bing will be the next big thing in Web search.
Get real.
Bing, after two decades of floundering, allegedly is profitable. No word on how long it will take to pay back the money Microsoft has invested in Web search over these 4,000 days of stumbling.
I highlighted this passage in the write up:
Rik van der Kooi, corporate vice president of Microsoft Search Advertising, referred to Bing as an “intelligence fabric” that has been embedded into Windows 10, Cortana, Xbox and other products, including Hololens. He went on to say the future Bing will be personal, pervasive and offer a personal experience so much that it “might not be obvious users are even interacting with the search engine.
I think I understand. Microsoft is everywhere. Microsoft Bing is embedded. Therefore, Microsoft beats Google Web search.
Great thinking.
I do like this passage:
This is a bold call considering that Google owned 89.38% of the global desktop search engine market, while Microsoft owned 4.2% as of July 2016, according to data provided by Statista. With MSFT’s endeavors to create an integrated ecosystem, however, the long-term scale is tipping in the favor of Microsoft stock. That’s because Microsoft’s traditional business is entrenched into many people’s lives as well as business operations. For instance, the majority of desktop devices run on Windows.
Yep, there are lots of desktops still. However, there are more mobile devices. If I am not mistaken, Google’s Android runs more than 80 percent of these devices. Add desktop and mobile and what do you get? No dominance of Web search by Bing the way I understand the situation.
Sure, I love the Bing thing. I have some affection for Qwant.com, Yandex.com, and Inxight.com too. But Microsoft has yet to demonstrate that it can deliver a Web search system which is able to change the behaviors of today’s users. Look at the Google in the word processing space. Microsoft continues to have an edge and Google has been trying for more than a decade to make Word an afterthought. That hasn’t happened. Inertia is a big factor.
Search for growing market share on Bing. What’s that answer look like? Less than five percent of the Web search market? Oh, do that query on Google by the way.
Stephen E Arnold, November 23, 2016
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