5 comments

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  Santosh Panda

  2 years ago

  Considering Google's positioning as a consumer software experience service company, it has competition with Apple, Yahoo, eBay, MS and many others.
  
  However the core strength of Google is in producing easy-to-use software (be it GMail, GTalk, Google Apps, etc) which impresses the "common man/user". I believe the next generation market opportunity and share lies in acquiring common user.
  
  Coming back to your analysis, whether Apple-Google or Apple-Yahoo is best bet, I don't think Apple is in sight for Google/ vice versa.
  
  I analyze from Google's point of view. My analysis says that Google will go for Adobe! Adobe is the undisputed leader in innovating solutions which has mass user appeal (PDF, Photoshop, coming soon AIR, Flash and many other solutions). As web moves towards RIA (rich internet application), Adobe's capability and stack will allow Google to further extend its leadership as follows.
  
  1.Common user can design web pages (Google's page creator and Adobe's Dream weaver)
  2.Rich Internet Application (Google's pure Java based AJAX and Adobe's AIR, Flex)
  3.Web based Apps (Google Apps + Adobe easy-to-use & publish PDF, Presentations)
  4.Learning Tools
  5.Next generation Mobile Apps and Software
  &
  Many such capabilities
  
  Considering Google uses millions of open source software like Linux (Red Hat), and Red Hat/Linux increasing OS market share, why will not Google acquire Red Hat and hit Microsoft most in OS market?
  
  In a longer term, the only missing bit for Google is OS; all other bits and pieces they are either acquiring or building on their own.
  
  Apple-Yahoo? Unless Yahoo performs exceptionally well, it will be an definitive acquisition target of Apple or eBay or Microsoft. That's my guess.
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• 

  Roger

  2 years ago

  Excellent assessment from the Google perspective. I would agree that Adobe has made themselves the perfect target for Google with their acquisition of Macromedia last year.
  
  Yahoo! wouldn't want them because as you said 'stack' doesn't fit, Apple doesn't want to go there and there is quite a few major apps that overlap, and finally MS would get a nice call from the U.S. Department of Justice if they ever went after Adobe so it definitely leaves Adobe exposed to an out--right purchase by Google.
  
  Maybe later this year or early next once Adobe has their product portfolio sorted and the merger being well behind them at that point.
  
  Good spot and I think you are right on with your speculation.
  
  :)
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• 

  Vijay

  2 years ago

  Google buying Adobe is not going to happen. Google's specialization is all about using AI (suggest, spell check, translate, newsbot etc) and in making search blazing fast. Google's methods scaleout to millions of servers. So scaleout, using AI (and associated development tools), search, algorithms, statistical inference - google's hands are very dirty with technology, a very hands on engineering company.
  
  Adobe has adobe, it has macromedia (very uncool if I was a googler).
  Google's mantra is "do no evil" - thats also a criteria too.
  
  Does Adobe have an emerging technology that google absolutely must have - (in their time youtube, blogger, picasa etc.. were all such). ?
  
  Google talks lisp, python, ajax - does Adobe talk that too?
  
  The deal will need to be approved not on wall street, or in a board-room - but it will need to get the 'coolness' nod from the phds and the google math guys.
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• 

  Roger

  2 years ago

  I think Vijay you are a victim of drinking too much of the Kool-Aid as one of my readers also pointed out to me not too long ago. You may believe Google needs to sell 'something' to their 'PhDs' as you implied but that isn't the case. Google are a business and everyone is getting rich off their stock options, don't think for a second that when they are cruising around with their real-estate agents for $1 Million homes they are worried about the 'mantra' as you refer to optimistically. When lots of money is involved people change whether they have PhDs or not.
  
  Also yes Google is specialised in AI but that is their technology what is their business that goes on top of the technology? They are not selling their software (yes they sell a search box but that is for internal Enterprise use and less than 1% of their revenue) to Yahoo!, MySpace, Lycos, Ask, MS, etc are they?
  
  No they are not so that means they have technology but that isn't their business per say. They are an Agency more than any other business and Adobe complements their technology in a way that helps them provide better Agency related services.
  
  Also Google uses those technologies because it suits them, but that doesn't mean they won't reach out to new technologies as Adobe has many attractive products and patents.
  
  Regarding 'emerging' tech that google 'must have' I am a bit surprised you said Picasa.. They had great technology? Huh? Sorry I think you will need to explain that one to me. I don't disagree that Picasa is a good product but a 'must have' technology...?
  
  All that being said, I like that you drew attention to the AI work being done at Google, it is impressive and the possible applications will affect those outside of Googles walls in many other industrys for decades I would expect.
  
  PS. I am curious have you ever met a PhD? If so did you think they were cool? Did you think they were into cool?
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• 

  Marcus Greenwood

  1 year ago

  I have to say - would find it extremely unlikely that Google will buy Apple or indeed that there will be any kind of merger.
  
  Apple have a very large market in front of them and are making good grounds in the pc, personal mp3 player and more recently mobile phone hardware market - the last thing they need is a merger with a fairly unrelated business.
  
  Google are doing just fine and will continue to dominate in the internet services market. The last thing they need to do is completely diversify there business buy purchasing a fully-fledged hardware business.
  
  Basically, it's not gonna happen. Yahoo is an interesting one to watch in the near future, but if Yahoo is bought by or merged with anyone, it won't be Google or Apple!
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