What's up Google, is it really that bad?

[p00p]

Edit: So i started this in the morning, since then, google has taken the imaging off...:

I'm sure many of you have been to google.com today and noticed the fluff.

So they're trying to be more hip like Bing by including a customizable background for your google.com page.. Is it just me or does this seem retarded? The first thought I had when i saw this last night was that they were stretching to be more 'cool' or something. There is no purpose to the image, no info about it like bing's.. just an image background.

Let's see, what's Google got going for them aside from the perceived value in their name? Here's a few things off the top of my head:

List of Win

• Ads
  
• Android, as the only iAlternative in the market atm
  
• Gmail - yeah, but it's just email, right?
  
• Search - Or is it? This move makes me think they acknowledge their concern about Bing encroaching on their googleness (which they should be)
  

List of Fail

• Buzz -so dumb
  
• Chrome - what is chrome meant to be anyway and how are they going to position it with Android?
  
• Google.com, a bing.com wannabe?
  

I've talked to Remy and Phr0st about it already. Do you think Google is running out of innovation or is this fluff just that, fluff and nothing more?

What happens if the iPhone goes to other carriers, will it destroy Android to a niche only phone? What will the normals choose if iPhone hits Verizon?

Anyway, wtf Google?

[bl00k]

I didn't notice the image because I've been using iGoogle ( a total iFail name) as my homepage for years now. I have a pretty picture of the solar system and all my rss feeds, gmail, weather, etc. on my homepage. So I didn't notice or care about the image.

Best thing I've seen about this whole thing was a twitter from shwood.

shwood best reaction to google's look: "We've lost a background image, if found please return to bing.com ." (from Microsoft Europe)

[Titahn]

You forgot to list Google Wave to the list of fail.

[Phr0st]

Yea my opinion is google is out of the innovation stage into the catch up copy stage. Eric Shmidt did run Novell before google, and umm Novell is currently for sale. Lol.

[Mathazar]

Google docs = win

But lets face it what has google really ever innovated? Google's MO is to see things other people are doing and do it better. They didn't invent search or web advertising they just did (do) it better. They didn't invent webmail but now gmail is better than full fledged clients imho.

Why does everything need that Google gives you need to be a grand slam? In a world where M$ and the Fruit try to nickle and dime you at every turn I'll take some free meh interspersed with my free awesome thanks.

[Phr0st]

I think the difference here is when they created all of that, they were blazing a trail in stuff that has already been done. They weren't following other companies that are blazing a trail in stuff thats already been done.

[Remy]

My problem with Google is the same as Microsoft. The innovators are gone. In M$ case it was Bill Gates who gave us Office and Windows 95 in the 90's and these products were great for the time. They had bits and pieces from past work but Bill really took those things and made them great. Bill left and Balmer has just been trying to keep things from sinking.

Google had Kevin Fox who gave us Calendar, Gmail and Reader. Awesome UI's. Then Kevin left and Eric = Balmer. Google bought Writely.com and renamed it Google Docs but didn't add anything to it. They bought Android and beside a SDK (ooohh aahh) are just trying to follow Apple. Then they try on their own with Buzz and Wave and Fail.

Nothing new is coming from Google and Microsoft. Seems they are content with sub par.

[bl00k]

If they are the "sub par" then who are the current innovators out there right now? And I don't want to hear Apple.

[Titahn]

Apple.

Hey, you asked for it.

[b0lg]

Jun 15, 2010 20:16:24 GMT -7 bl00k said:

If they are the "sub par" then who are the current innovators out there right now? And I don't want to hear Apple.

I think bl00k is a closet apple fan boy, he HAD to have the ipod earbuds for his TF2 account!




Apples business is inovation and good PR, if they fail at that no one would buy their crap.

[Remy]

lol nice headphones

Steve Jobs - Apple
Jack Dorsey - Twitter and Square
Tim O'reilly - ePublishing
Mark Zuckerburg - Facebook (I can't stand him or his ideas but he is on the list. . . for now)
Foursquare and Gowalla
Phil Windley - Kynetx
Reed Hastings - Netflix
Rackspace

My main point is it appears to me that Eric and Balmer are taking once great companies letting them waste away.

[p00p]

Sadly, I'd have to agree that Apple is the only large company exceeding at anything innovative. Now, M$ is doing pretty good but I'd say it's evolving well more than innovating much of anything.

The other companies noted by Remy are indies who's success pivots on their innovation. Google has Android, that doesn't suck; even if it really just wants to be an iPhone. -not innovative.

But really, what's innovation other than a shot in the dark that sticks anyway?