Why Microsoft *could* have taken over the Internet
Posted by multippt
Microsoft’s monopoly of the PC market can be depicted by this phrase: “All your computers are belong to us”. Microsoft has the ability to take over a market at its discretion - talk about the endless potential of money. Well it has the ability, but so far used a fraction of it on a few of it’s strengths.
Microsoft? Take over the Internet?
If Microsoft managed to nearly take over the browser market (in the process completely eradicating some of its rivals), why not the Internet? Taking over the browsers market is one step for Microsoft’s empire manipulation of the Internet - after all, to even use the net, you need an Internet browser right? Quality is not a choice, Internet Explorer was and is “bad” but people had to use it, maybe until the advent of Firefox. So, if step one was the browser market, what is step 2? Right, the Internet. Currently, the Internet is governed by the top 10, the most prominent ones are Yahoo and Google. Where does Microsoft come in? It’s still in top 10, but the top 2 are the ones who command the others, and have the ability to bend webmasters and Internet surfers to their will.
Why Microsoft could have taken over the Internet
1. Microsoft ain’t trying hard enough
Great! Now that Microsoft has its very own search engine, it might be able to compete with Google and Yahoo right? Wrong! Yahoo and Google are superior to Live search, simply because they are superior. Microsoft didn’t have a chance - poor marketing of Live search is a path to its demise. In addition, Microsoft doesn’t disclose a little how it’s search engine influence results so webmasters had trouble getting their sites to work well for the poor crawler (as usual, Microsoft’s proprietary work rarely gets disclosed). Money is not a problem for big Microsoft. After all, isn’t Microsoft’s earnings 9 times that of Yahoo?
2. Microsoft didn’t buy Yahoo
Yahoo is a big company. Microsoft is a behemoth. Microsoft can buy Yahoo if it wishes to, and if it did, part of the Internet will be almost in the direct control of Microsoft (or at least Microsoft has a say in it). Fortunately or unfortunately, Microsoft has no plans to buy Yahoo over. Besides, even if it did, Microsoft will be considered as attempting to monopolize the Internet (Microsoft was fined for attempting to monopolize the software market; particularly OSes, Internet browsers and music players). By acquiring Yahoo, Microsoft will be near invincible and is a direct rival to Google, that is if Microsoft didn’t screw anything up.
3. Microsoft didn’t buy Google
Google is the top Internet giant. Never mind Alexa, Google is the top - considering it’s successful sites and massive buy-overs of super sites like Youtube and Feedburner. If Microsoft acquired Google, the Internet is Microsoft’s. Well, that is “if”.
4. Microsoft didn’t support open-source
If Microsoft were to bribe support open source projects like Firefox, it may actually help Microsoft in the long run. Google for example arranged a deal to make the homepage of Firefox point to Google, thereby directly increasing Google’s popularity. If Microsoft were to do that (which is now too late of course), Live search will get a boost in user base.
5. Microsoft didn’t made Live search earlier
Being a pioneer has its advantages. Microsoft decided to make Live search (known as MSN search in 1999) much later. Again, back to point #1, Microsoft didn’t try hard enough, so MSN search lagged way behind Yahoo. Moving to Live search did give it all the hype, but Live search is treated as simply an alternative search engine rather than a main one. By making it much later, Microsoft could not implement it as a home page on it’s browsers during its peak (remember: Microsoft almost took over the browser market for a while). If it did, Microsoft had a huge advantage. Microsoft only implemented Live search as the homepage a little too late, which by then most Internet users have become loyal to Yahoo and Google.
