Sure, improved search algorithms and speed are nifty. Watson is therefore nifty. What I dispute, however, is the point of the original suggestion: that Watson

Sure, improved search algorithms and speed are nifty. Watson is therefore nifty. What I dispute, however, is the point of the original suggestion: that Watson represents some kind of massive conceptual leap over Google, one that could translate into a threat to Google's business. Today, Watson has two advantages over Google's search engine: It plays Jeopardy -- which is a very impressive demo; it's hard to be impressed by Google search anymore now that kids have grown up with it -- and it gets to work on one question at a time using a profoundly expensive pile of special-purpose hardware. These things are awesome, but they are not actually magical. By the time Watson's tech becomes available on the web for everyone, Google may well have it too. By the time I can afford my own pocket Watson, Google may well be selling a competitor.