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http://www.fool.com/news/commentary/2006/commentary06071302.htm
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Google Must Die
By Rick Aristotle Munarriz (TMFBreakerRick)
July 13, 2006
It seems that Yahoo! (Nasdaq: YHOO) and Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) are speaking the same language. Last night, the two Internet juggernauts announced voice-chat interoperability between Yahoo! Messenger with Voice and Mr. Softy's Windows Live Messenger.
It's a pretty bold move, even if it's not entirely unexpected. The two bellwethers announced that users of one service would be able to text-chat with users of the other back in October. The new agreement adds voice-chat capabilities to that arrangement, creating a powerful community 350 million accounts strong, according to internal usage statistics. The companies announced that beta testing had begun last night, with widespread availability to follow in the coming months.
Redrawing the battle lines
Microsoft and Yahoo! may seem like unlikely partners. They are fierce rivals in paid search, where they continue to trail Google (Nasdaq: GOOG). In instant messaging and voice chat, eBay's (Nasdaq: EBAY) Skype is the latest buzzworthy global brand, while Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX) market-chomping AOL Instant Messenger is one of the few remnants of the America Online empire that still matters.
You could argue that Yahoo! and Microsoft's partnership is throwing the gauntlet at eBay's feet, but is it really? Yahoo! and eBay recently hooked up for a strategic advertising alliance, so one would think that the two giants are on relatively friendly terms. But AOL has been a billboard for Google's contextual advertising for years, and Google recently invested $1 billion to acquire a 5% stake in AOL.
Like so many things in the Yahoo! and Microsoft playbooks lately, it's all about Google. Don't believe me? Check out the WWGD bumper sticker on the back of Steve Ballmer's car! Joining forces to make AIM a little less dominant would hurt Google by winning back some of that billable real estate. More importantly, though, the deal seems designed to crush Google Talk before it has much of a chance to fly.
All you do to me is talk Talk
It's been nearly a year since Google launched Google Talk. Like so many of Google's non-search gizmos, it's been tagged as "beta" for an eternity. The rub here is that Google Talk hasn't really wowed the public in its infancy.
That's unusual. Google is used to being either a category killer or a silent killer. Look at the perfect simplicity of its landing page, or its AdWords and AdSense advertising programs. Look at the jaw-dropping beauty of Google Earth or Google Maps.
Google Talk? Eh. It's not exactly shabby, but it's not Google's finest hour. That's OK, though; Google doesn't have to hit them all out of the park. Perhaps Google Talk is like those alien baddies in the War of the Worlds remake, buried in the ground and lying dormant until the time comes to arise from its slumber and strike. Integrating the program with Google Checkout transactions, or tying it to AdWords' recent move toward "click-to-call" functionality, might be the elixir to make Google Talk a real monster.
Microsoft and Yahoo! can't afford to see that scenario play out. Google Talk must perish, and the bloodier, the better. As the world's leading software company, Microsoft has more at stake than paid search. Yahoo! also has diversified interests as a leader in online dating and job hunts. Yet both still fear Google, with good reason. Google has been nibbling away at Microsoft's desktop space and Yahoo!'s Web-surfing audience alike. Judging from Google's heady growth trajectory, it will rule the planet by 2034 -- a few years earlier than that, if it's able to secure the book and movie rights.
It's great that Microsoft and Yahoo! now offer interoperability between their voice-chat platforms. It will make it that much easier for them to get together and mutter the three words that they've no doubt been volleying back and forth lately: Google must die.
http://www.fool.com/news/commentary/2006/commentary06071302.htm
INVESTING
"The Motley Fool's 2 Top Picks"
Two Wall Street "party crashers" are taking on the so-called market "pros" and racking up 62.9% average returns.
Now, they've uncovered two new investment opportunities â a pair of truly remarkable businesses with blockbuster potential for 2006 and beyond.
You can get both top picks FREE!
Get the names of both stocks, backed by detailed research and fundamental analysis, straight from the desk of Motley Fool co-founders David and Tom Gardner.
It's all in their latest premium research report, "The Motley Fool's 2 Top Picks â Plus Wall Street's Dirtiest Secret."
You can access this brand new special report immediately. It's FREE for a limited time to individual investors.
Click here for
"The Motley Fool's 2 Top Picks"
(No credit card required)
*Editor's note: As of 3/14/2006, Stock Advisor picks are up on average 60% vs. 22% for the S&P 500.
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Format for printing
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Latest Fool.com Headlines
Hold the Music [Thu 11:13 a.m.]
Still No Boon for Tribune [Thu 11:04 a.m.]
Reconnect With Resources Connection? [Thu 10:39 a.m.]
Red Light, Green Light [Thu 10:38 a.m.]
Corporate America and the Gay Marriage Debate [Thu 10:25 a.m.]
Can Disney Kill You? [Thu 10:25 a.m.]
Infosys: Strong Quarter, Still Expensive [Thu 10:16 a.m.]
Retirement Revoked! [Thu 10:12 a.m.]
Google Must Die [Thu 10:09 a.m.]
Balancing Your Budget [Thu 9:50 a.m.]
Disney Screens for Greens [Thu 9:33 a.m.]
Buff That Ruby Tuesday: Fool by Numbers [Wed 5:09 p.m.]
A Shiny Ruby Tuesday: Fool by Numbers [Wed 4:58 p.m.]
Searching for 40,000% Returns [Wed 4:50 p.m.]
AMB Properties' Growth Development: Fool by Numbers [Wed 4:46 p.m.]
More Headlines »
Google Must Die
By Rick Aristotle Munarriz (TMFBreakerRick)
July 13, 2006
It seems that Yahoo! (Nasdaq: YHOO) and Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) are speaking the same language. Last night, the two Internet juggernauts announced voice-chat interoperability between Yahoo! Messenger with Voice and Mr. Softy's Windows Live Messenger.
It's a pretty bold move, even if it's not entirely unexpected. The two bellwethers announced that users of one service would be able to text-chat with users of the other back in October. The new agreement adds voice-chat capabilities to that arrangement, creating a powerful community 350 million accounts strong, according to internal usage statistics. The companies announced that beta testing had begun last night, with widespread availability to follow in the coming months.
Redrawing the battle lines
Microsoft and Yahoo! may seem like unlikely partners. They are fierce rivals in paid search, where they continue to trail Google (Nasdaq: GOOG). In instant messaging and voice chat, eBay's (Nasdaq: EBAY) Skype is the latest buzzworthy global brand, while Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX) market-chomping AOL Instant Messenger is one of the few remnants of the America Online empire that still matters.
You could argue that Yahoo! and Microsoft's partnership is throwing the gauntlet at eBay's feet, but is it really? Yahoo! and eBay recently hooked up for a strategic advertising alliance, so one would think that the two giants are on relatively friendly terms. But AOL has been a billboard for Google's contextual advertising for years, and Google recently invested $1 billion to acquire a 5% stake in AOL.
Like so many things in the Yahoo! and Microsoft playbooks lately, it's all about Google. Don't believe me? Check out the WWGD bumper sticker on the back of Steve Ballmer's car! Joining forces to make AIM a little less dominant would hurt Google by winning back some of that billable real estate. More importantly, though, the deal seems designed to crush Google Talk before it has much of a chance to fly.
All you do to me is talk Talk
It's been nearly a year since Google launched Google Talk. Like so many of Google's non-search gizmos, it's been tagged as "beta" for an eternity. The rub here is that Google Talk hasn't really wowed the public in its infancy.
That's unusual. Google is used to being either a category killer or a silent killer. Look at the perfect simplicity of its landing page, or its AdWords and AdSense advertising programs. Look at the jaw-dropping beauty of Google Earth or Google Maps.
Google Talk? Eh. It's not exactly shabby, but it's not Google's finest hour. That's OK, though; Google doesn't have to hit them all out of the park. Perhaps Google Talk is like those alien baddies in the War of the Worlds remake, buried in the ground and lying dormant until the time comes to arise from its slumber and strike. Integrating the program with Google Checkout transactions, or tying it to AdWords' recent move toward "click-to-call" functionality, might be the elixir to make Google Talk a real monster.
Microsoft and Yahoo! can't afford to see that scenario play out. Google Talk must perish, and the bloodier, the better. As the world's leading software company, Microsoft has more at stake than paid search. Yahoo! also has diversified interests as a leader in online dating and job hunts. Yet both still fear Google, with good reason. Google has been nibbling away at Microsoft's desktop space and Yahoo!'s Web-surfing audience alike. Judging from Google's heady growth trajectory, it will rule the planet by 2034 -- a few years earlier than that, if it's able to secure the book and movie rights.
It's great that Microsoft and Yahoo! now offer interoperability between their voice-chat platforms. It will make it that much easier for them to get together and mutter the three words that they've no doubt been volleying back and forth lately: Google must die.
