Google Instant - Take that, Bing!
Summary: Instant search rocks out loud - this isn't just fanboi-speak either. It's enough to drive browser adoption and keep eyes off Bing/Yahoo.
As Sam Diaz reported this morning, Google introduced its new instant search product today, complete with predictive auto-complete and real-time search results. For those of us who turn to Google for our Internet search needs (and there are plenty of us), if we'd ever thought about straying to Bing or Yahoo!, this should keep us Googling for the foreseeable future. It's fast, it's clean, and it works very, very well.
Google has been criticized frequently for not focusing on its core business of search (and the related targeted advertising that goes with it, forming the basis for Google's billions in revenue). This certainly marks a step forward for the company since, while search has evolved behind the scenes over the last several years, there have been few visible changes to users. Aside from changes to the layout of Google's search results earlier this year, the average consumer wouldn't know about the millions in R&D that Google has invested in improving search. Like Bing's real-time video search previews, the instant search is striking.
Because this feature is only available on Chrome, Safari, Firefox and IE8 browsers, maybe it will be one more nail in the coffins of IE 6 and 7. Unfortunately, where this would have the most impact (mobile), there aren't any supported platforms yet. However, it seems likely that mobile Safari and Skyfire should be close behind given their support for other rich features in the Google ecosystem.
The most important takeaway from Google's perspective, however, is that any new whiz-bang features make the Bing-Yahoo juggernaut less attractive to users. While Bing and Yahoo individually controlled relatively small shares of the search market, together they start looking far more competitive. Instant search is a good start for Google in firmly reestablishing its dominance in search. What's next? My money is on mobile since so many queries now originate from iOS and Android browsers.
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Talkback
Well gee! Google spent 18 months borrowing ideas from Bing...
RE: Google Instant - Take that, Bing!
CREAMS!
By golly, you're right!
RE: Google Instant - Take that, Bing!
1. people who forget what they were searching for in the middle
2. don't know what to key in for a search
3. searching for time-pass
4. people who think its cool, to see screen refreshing.
I usually see the results only after typing in what i have in mind, and i type fast.
RE: Google Instant - Take that, Bing!
RE: Google Instant - Take that, Bing!
RE: Google Instant - Take that, Bing!
You are an idiot, period.
No supported mobile platforms? Wrong!
RE: Google Instant - Take that, Bing!
Hey! My Nexus One runs the full web (not the crap desktop version) and I get it too!
Cool guys unite!
RE: Google Instant - Take that, Bing!
RE: Google Instant - Take that, Bing!
RE: Google Instant - Take that, Bing!
RE: Google Instant - Take that, Bing!
bah dah bing, bah dah boom. Put that in your schmoke and pipe it.
You are obviously joking
:|
RE: Google Instant - Take that, Bing!
It's like a kid with ADHD that...
RE: Google Instant - Take that, Bing!
RE: Google Instant - Take that, Bing!
>millions in R&D that Google has invested in improving search
While they surely have spent millions improving search - they didn't spend it on this. It is actually not that complicated technically. As noted Long created this with Bing and jQuery ages ago. Your lack of actual technical knowledge is always amusing. As is the fact that you claim this is not a fanboi post but then fail to provide any context i.e....how much google has pinched from bing over the last year.
RE: Google Instant - Take that, Bing!