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Topic: Browser

Can Vista's search poke a hole in Google's armor?

Summary: A Global Equities research analyst said this week that he found "many Vista owners that once used Google's desktop search feature have switched to Microsoft's" desktop search which is built into Windows Vista.

Mary Jo Foley

By for All About Microsoft |

One analyst's survey doesn't make a trend. But a Global Equities research analyst said this week that he found "many Vista owners that once used Google's desktop search feature have switched to Microsoft's" desktop search which is built into Windows Vista.

According to MarketWatch, Analyst Trip Chowdhry said "consumers we spoke with like Vista's search."

I wonder if these consumers were pitting Google's Desktop Search vs. Vista's desktop search, or if they were simply commenting on Vista's desktop search vs. Google's Web search. (I also wonder where analyst Chowdhry found his survey sample.)

I don't think Google is invincible; far from it. But I'd bet even Microsoft's own search experts might be surprised by this early data.

Topic: Browser

About

Mary Jo has covered the tech industry for more than 25 years for a variety of publications and Web sites, and is a frequent guest on radio, TV and podcasts, speaking about all things Microsoft-related. She is the author of Microsoft 2.0: How Microsoft plans to stay relevant in the post-Gates era (John Wiley & Sons, 2008).

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9 comments
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  • No, Google will just use the old anti-trust tactic

    Waaa, waaa, mean MS can't add search to their OS because that isn't fair! Waaa, waaaa. It has worked quite well for Apple over the last 20 years, no reason why Google can't get in on some of that monopoly action. Yikes, I just had a horrifying thought! The only reason the DoJ won last time was because they were able to exclude Apple from the market by artificially narrowing the market in question to [b]only[/b] include x86 compatible OSs. Now that OSX [b]is[/b] an x86 compatible OS, how on earth will they ever win? Uh oh. Maybe Google and Apple will actually have to start competing on merit now instead of running to the courts every time MS does something innovative!
    NonZealot
    Reply Vote

    • It would depend on whether

      or not MS were engaging in unethical/illegal behavior.

      Can you say "par for the course?"

      :o)
      Jack-Booted EULA
      Reply Vote

      • "unethical/illegal behavior"

        Surely Microsoft bought the rights to avoid this inconvenient little law...?

        The previous court case has clearly established that Microsoft is a national treasure, is important to the economy, and shouldn't be interfered with by busybody judges.

        What is "unethical/illegal" for other companies it "normal" for Microsoft and therefore exempt from normal laws.
        jinko
        Reply Vote

    • "Delusions Of Grandeur"

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      Ole Man
      Reply Vote

    • Oh My, for a Non Zealot...

      Time to dial it down or at least cut down the caffeine. You raise a couple good points, will Google fall on "Monopoly Talk" and the "DOJ excluding Apple" but the way to wrap it around the waaa, waaas, like I said, time for some fresh air? Sleep?

      TripleII
      TripleII-21189418044173169409978279405827
      Reply Vote

  • Simple explaination, it works very well

    I've been using Vista fulltime for a week now and it works really well with the instantaneous results that cover all my documents (file names and content), and all of my email archive. Why stick additional software on a system when there's already a good search engine on the OS?

    Microsoft might start threatening Internet search too since default search in IE7 is MS Live. I personally change all my default settings to Google for web search. I tried Live and other search engines because I wanted an alternative to Google, but I can't give Google's better search results up yet. But Google is really starting to get on my nerves with the paid-for advertisements injected organically in to the search results. I'm sometimes seeing the entire first page or two or results polluted with ads.
    georgeou
    Reply Vote

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  • RE: Can Vista's search poke a hole in Google's armor?

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