3 ms·

This is the point right? I do think it's fair to say that resources/$$$s aren't the thing holding back something like the Pixel Phone from being the number one

This is the point right? I do think it's fair to say that resources/$$$s aren't the thing holding back something like the Pixel Phone from being the number one smart phone, but at the end of the day it just isn't still. Therefore putting cash into this kind of thing makes sense, but the bigger question is still, why isn't Google just doing better in these non-search categories it's competing in?

freedomben 3y ago
Yes agreed, if we are talking about more than just search. The Apple payment was about Search, but the Samsung payment is about more so really they are kind of apples/oranges (no pun intended!). They could and should absolutely be putting more into Android. Android has historically been about choice, but it's more and more becoming a clone of iOS. I recently had a need to record phone calls, something I did with ease ten years ago when I was battling with car insurance people, and it is damn near impossible now in 2023. Root in general is a pain in the ass. If I was terrified of the possibility of poweruser options, and wanted to be locked down and led by the nose to use my device in the exact way prescribed by the overlords, I'd be using iOS! I'm guessing they consider the market pretty saturated and aren't very motivated. Some good old fashioned competition would do wonders.
jsnell 3y ago
Right! Other than the most used browser, the most used operating system, the most used mapping application, the second most used office suite, the most used online storage, the most used video platform, the second highest revenue app store, the most used email client, and a $30B / year cloud, what have they ever succeeded at? But more seriously, this is such a bizarre take. All these megacorps have effectively infinite resources to play with, they can't all win at everything. Apple and Samsung have the leading phones, and have lot of money, expertise and brand loyalty to help them maintain that lead. Conversely, Microsoft poured tens of billions and like a decade into phones and didn't even get past "viable". You've probably even forgotten Amazon's and Facebook's mobile phone forays.
- crowcroft 3y ago
  Appreciate this perspective, Google certainly doesn't seem to get enough credit for it's wins. Ultimately I think this is because of the inability to take those successes and convert them into a number in their financials that investors care about. Maybe it all boils down to a failure in comms though, Apple is just as much 'the iPhone' company as Google is 'the search company' when it comes to profits, yet Google can't shake the stigma that they can't innovate and deliver.
  - Voultapher 3y ago
    I see your point, arguably the iPhones keep getter better, maybe only marginally, but Google search has clearly degraded in quality massively. I get why people treat them differently.
- thesuperbigfrog 3y ago
  >> Other than the most used browser, the most used operating system, the most used mapping application, the second most used office suite, the most used online storage, the most used video platform, the second highest revenue app store, the most used email client, and a $30B / year cloud, what have they ever succeeded at? Would they have so many "most used" if they did not pay to be the default in so many places? How much of their success is due to merit of the application, service, system, etc. versus "stacking the deck" by paying to be default or preventing competition?
  - mcosta 3y ago
    The competitors are also "stacking the deck"
- tiltowait 3y ago
  It's probably worth noting that many of those products you listed were acquisitions. It's entirely possible they wouldn't be #1 without Google backing them, but I'd argue they're still in a different category than a completely home-grown solution like search.

freedomben 3y ago

Yes agreed, if we are talking about more than just search. The Apple payment was about Search, but the Samsung payment is about more so really they are kind of apples/oranges (no pun intended!). They could and should absolutely be putting more into Android. Android has historically been about choice, but it's more and more becoming a clone of iOS. I recently had a need to record phone calls, something I did with ease ten years ago when I was battling with car insurance people, and it is damn near impossible now in 2023. Root in general is a pain in the ass. If I was terrified of the possibility of poweruser options, and wanted to be locked down and led by the nose to use my device in the exact way prescribed by the overlords, I'd be using iOS! I'm guessing they consider the market pretty saturated and aren't very motivated. Some good old fashioned competition would do wonders.

jsnell 3y ago

Right! Other than the most used browser, the most used operating system, the most used mapping application, the second most used office suite, the most used online storage, the most used video platform, the second highest revenue app store, the most used email client, and a $30B / year cloud, what have they ever succeeded at? But more seriously, this is such a bizarre take. All these megacorps have effectively infinite resources to play with, they can't all win at everything. Apple and Samsung have the leading phones, and have lot of money, expertise and brand loyalty to help them maintain that lead. Conversely, Microsoft poured tens of billions and like a decade into phones and didn't even get past "viable". You've probably even forgotten Amazon's and Facebook's mobile phone forays.

crowcroft 3y ago
Appreciate this perspective, Google certainly doesn't seem to get enough credit for it's wins. Ultimately I think this is because of the inability to take those successes and convert them into a number in their financials that investors care about. Maybe it all boils down to a failure in comms though, Apple is just as much 'the iPhone' company as Google is 'the search company' when it comes to profits, yet Google can't shake the stigma that they can't innovate and deliver.
- Voultapher 3y ago
  I see your point, arguably the iPhones keep getter better, maybe only marginally, but Google search has clearly degraded in quality massively. I get why people treat them differently.
thesuperbigfrog 3y ago
>> Other than the most used browser, the most used operating system, the most used mapping application, the second most used office suite, the most used online storage, the most used video platform, the second highest revenue app store, the most used email client, and a $30B / year cloud, what have they ever succeeded at? Would they have so many "most used" if they did not pay to be the default in so many places? How much of their success is due to merit of the application, service, system, etc. versus "stacking the deck" by paying to be default or preventing competition?
- mcosta 3y ago
  The competitors are also "stacking the deck"
tiltowait 3y ago
It's probably worth noting that many of those products you listed were acquisitions. It's entirely possible they wouldn't be #1 without Google backing them, but I'd argue they're still in a different category than a completely home-grown solution like search.