NationStates Jolt Archive

Bing: Microsoft Launching New Rival to Google?

Microsoft, acknowledging its weakness in the web search market, plans a major ad campaign and rebrand for its Live Search product this Spring, essentially mounting an ad war against Google and Yahoo.

While the name of the new challenger has yet to be confirmed, an AdAge article published today suggests the rebrand might include a name change to “Bing”, along with an $80 to $100 million ad campaign. Google, by comparison, spent a total of $25 million on ads in 2008. Ads will appear on the web, TV, radio, newspapers and magazines.

Read More >> (http://mashable.com/2009/05/24/bing/)

I don't think they will beat Google, at least not this time. But I do not underestimate the power of Mickey. They needed several versions before they could kick Netscape from the pole position, but Google isn't Netscape. Google is a real mean big company and not some kind of a student club.

However, Google is beatable. The search results aren't always smart. A new search engine shouldn't retrieve quantity but quality.

How that one is achieved? If I knew, I wouldn't be posting on this board. :)

On the internet everything can go fast, big companies come and go. It's like the raise and fall of civilisations but zillion times faster.

they need to make it better at fidning porn forme to abandon Google.

"Bing"? As in cherry?

I swear Microsoft should just BUY Apple and get it over with.

What a terrible name.

What a terrible name.

unless it is porn search related.

they either need to make their search better, or unique in some way. and they need to win hearts & minds (eugh phrase) - google has become synonymous with search... that will be hard to overcome if they want to beat the big g. maybe bing is suitably irritating name to catch on and remember - better that than something you forget.
they also need to buy their way into being browsers' default search engine, on Firefox and Opera, for example. i shouldn't imagine they'd get very far with Chrome lol

$25 million on an ad campaign last year?

I didn't see anything of this.

$25 million on an ad campaign last year?

I didn't see anything of this.

Seconded.

Making a better search engine than Google is an incredibly tall order. MS would be the only party I can think of with the money to risk even trying ... so they probably should.

I have a long record of hating on Microsoft. But at the base of it, what I hate are monopolies -- I'd give MS the benefit of the doubt on this, IF they were talking about a huge investment in Bing.

But it looks like what they are proposing is a middling-sized investment in Spin.

Can't see something called Bing beating anything, apart from its own children allegedly.

No doubt this will fail just like all of the past attempts at a search engine by Microsoft. Google has become the Windows of search engines, irony I hope is not lost on Microsoft.

I would prefer Binge.

I'll binge this evening if United flattens Barcelona. No wait. I'll binge even if they tie and go to the penalty kicks.

What the fuck, I'll binge even if Barcelona flattens United.

No doubt this will fail just like all of the past attempts at a search engine by Microsoft. Google has become the Windows of search engines, irony I hope is not lost on Microsoft.

In 1990 Lotus Corporation was far bigger than Microsoft. Lotus who? Indeed.

Microsoft is having a proven record of beating companies that had once a bigger market share in some niche market.

They killed Borland (programming languages), Lotus (spreadsheet), WordPerfect (word-processing), Ashton Tate (database), Novell (network), Netscape (browser) and so many others...

All those companies had the virtual monopoly with their goods and where are they now? Most of them are gone or survive as a very little player.

I'll use it just because its called Bing.

Bing bing bong. Bong bing bing. Bing bang bong bang bing.

I'll use it just because its called Bing.

Bing bing bong. Bong bing bing. Bing bang bong bang bing.

Didn't that win the Eurovision Song Contest?

Didn't that win the Eurovision Song Contest?

I've watched the last ten or so and can't remember anything sounding like that winning. By the time I got to the end though it made me start humming "Witchdoctor" by the Cartoons. From the "ting tang walla walla bing bang" bit.

Borland, Lotus, WordPerfect, Ashton Tate , Novell, Netscape and Google share(d) a lot in common:

* Arrogance
* Underestimation of Mickeysoft its capabilities, money and marketing power.
* But more important: a small set of services. Microsoft is doing 'all', partly due their diversity they can sweat for a long time.

Google is doomed. :)

Borland, Lotus, WordPerfect, Ashton Tate , Novell, Netscape and Google share(d) a lot in common:

* Arrogance
* Underestimation of Mickeysoft its capabilities, money and marketing power.
* But more important: a small set of services. Microsoft is doing 'all', partly due their diversity they can sweat for a long time.

Google is doomed. :)

Actually, there's the old phrase. Jack of All Trades, Master of None. Microsquash might do a little of everything, but unless they spend an obscene amount of time and money on it, won't be as good as the other companies in their specialization. And if Microsquash spends focus on one area, the rest are going to be lacking as a result.

Saying Google is doomed right now is like screaming "Dewey Defeats Truman" in the 1940s.

Actually, there's the old phrase. Jack of All Trades, Master of None. Microsquash might do a little of everything, but unless they spend an obscene amount of time and money on it, won't be as good as the other companies in their specialization. And if Microsquash spends focus on one area, the rest are going to be lacking as a result.

Saying Google is doomed right now is like screaming "Dewey Defeats Truman" in the 1940s.

It depends, if Dewey would have defeated a dozen previous president candidates then odds are likely he'll defeat another one.

Borland, Lotus, WordPerfect, Ashton Tate , Novell and Netscape were all in the position of Google. At that time Mickey was usual much smaller as its targets. And they won.

I remember when the first version of Windows was released. They laughed at Apple. Now Mickey is having about 90% market share....

I remember Multiplan of Microsoft. They laughed at Lotus. Present times, there's almost no Lotus anymore.

I'm also thinking about Windows for Workgroups or I remember the Apache camp laughing with the first trials of Windows NT server.

I'm even silent about the Netscape/Explorer issues. The first version was crap (some will say it still is), today it is market leader...

Nobody, nobody could imagine that a solid house as WordPerfect could be demolished. Mickey did....

And now the same is going on with Google. Mickey usual needs three attempts to achieve a strike. Bing is their third attemp, no?

It depends, if Dewey would have defeated a dozen previous president candidates then odds are likely he'll defeat another one.

Borland, Lotus, WordPerfect, Ashton Tate , Novell and Netscape were all in the position of Google. At that time Mickey was usual much smaller as its targets. And they won.

I remember when the first version of Windows was released. They laughed at Apple. Now Mickey is having about 90% market share....

I remember Multiplan of Microsoft. They laughed at Lotus. Present times, there's almost no Lotus anymore.

I'm also thinking about Windows for Workgroups or I remember the Apache camp laughing with the first trials of Windows NT server.

I'm even silent about the Netscape/Explorer issues. The first version was crap (some will say it still is), today it is market leader...

Nobody, nobody could imagine that a solid house as WordPerfect could be demolished. Mickey did....

And now the same is going on with Google. Mickey usual needs three attempts to achieve a strike. Bing is their third attemp, no?

Several of these MS products have come to prominence due to them being bundled with the OS so making it easier and potentially cheaper for people (assuming the product is decent). With a search engine there's no way MS can force people to use it like they have with IE or Office.

Several of these MS products have come to prominence due to them being bundled with the OS so making it easier and potentially cheaper for people (assuming the product is decent). With a search engine there's no way MS can force people to use it like they have with IE or Office.

Multiplan, Access, Word, Excel or Office were never bundled with an OS. And when you bought MS DOS, you were not forced to buy Windows (which was not an OS at that time)

And what will Mickey do when they release a new OS? They include a browser and in that browser the default SE will be www.bing.com

Actually, there's the old phrase. Jack of All Trades, Master of None. Microsquash might do a little of everything, but unless they spend an obscene amount of time and money on it, won't be as good as the other companies in their specialization. And if Microsquash spends focus on one area, the rest are going to be lacking as a result.


true, but don't forget that MS has massive clout. if they can't make something better, they buy what's better. if it doesn't sell, they screw the competition (eg the browser wars). if they want to launch something strategic, they'll throw obscene amounts of money at it because they can (eg breaking into the games market with xbox).

in some ways, these highly aggressive (and often controversial (and illegal)) tactics won't work on the internet. if people don't like something, they walk and don't come back - unlike software, where they're stuck with it after the initial purchase, or stuck with proprietary file formats.

i have little doubt that if MS goes all out on carving out market share, whatever the cost (eg xbox again), they will make good headway. but they'll probably have to change tactics a lot. they'll have to come up with new and innovative things that people actually want, which is where Google has managed to keep its market dominance in the last few years. other searches might be better (maybe), but adding in gmail (which is/was better than hotmail), google docs, maps, etc, in one integrated package, has worked wonders...

Multiplan, Access, Word, Excel or Office were never bundled with an OS. And when you bought MS DOS, you were not forced to buy Windows (which was not an OS at that time)

More the possibility of bundling rather than the forced bundling (like IE), so selling packages of products that only compatible with each other and nothing else.

And what will Mickey do when they release a new OS? They include a browser and in that browser the default SE will be www.bing.com

It wouldn't surprise me, though given the EU fine they will have to change some tactics regarding browsers.

Saying Google is doomed right now is like screaming "Dewey Defeats Truman" in the 1940s.

You... You mean he didn't? Oh My God, this changes so much of what I thought I knew...

More the possibility of bundling rather than the forced bundling (like IE), so selling packages of products that only compatible with each other and nothing else.

Which is their right. Most software vendors act like that. And Office isn't under that flag, you can fairly easy import and export data to other formats.



It wouldn't surprise me, though given the EU fine they will have to change some tactics regarding browsers.

They already did, no?

Google is also on the watchdog list, several countries start to complain about privacy issues...

Borland, Lotus, WordPerfect, Ashton Tate , Novell, Netscape and Google share(d) a lot in common:

* Arrogance
* Underestimation of Mickeysoft its capabilities, money and marketing power.
* But more important: a small set of services. Microsoft is doing 'all', partly due their diversity they can sweat for a long time.

Google is doomed. :)

Actually, there's the old phrase. Jack of All Trades, Master of None. Microsquash might do a little of everything, but unless they spend an obscene amount of time and money on it, won't be as good as the other companies in their specialization. And if Microsquash spends focus on one area, the rest are going to be lacking as a result.

Saying Google is doomed right now is like screaming "Dewey Defeats Truman" in the 1940s.

Both of you are fanboys talking out of your asses.

Both of you are fanboys talking out of your asses.


But we are lucky that the enlighten one will teach us the truth, isn't? :)

Maybe you could start with explaining why we talk out of our asses...

Which is their right. Most software vendors act like that. And Office isn't under that flag, you can fairly easy import and export data to other formats.

I'd say MS used their market position and size well, even if other companies' products were perhaps better than theirs individually. In fact, Intel was much worse when fighting with AMD.

They already did, no?

Google is also on the watchdog list, several countries start to complain about privacy issues...

Well, MS are still contesting the fine I thought?

I don't think Google is so much at fault as MS in exploiting their dominant position, and with privacy there seems to be lots of disagreements with how long it should be kept and whether any personal information is stored. I think the latter is not, but isn't the EU trying to limit it to 3 months storage? It was funny after this that Google claimed it could predict pandemics if it had 6 months....

And what will Mickey do when they release a new OS? They include a browser and in that browser the default SE will be www.bing.com

If by Mickey, you mean Microsoft, they already do that with their own browser, though it hasn't got a search engine yet.

Guess what the preferred browser is these days?

If by Mickey, you mean Microsoft, they already do that with their own browser, though it hasn't got a search engine yet.

Guess what the preferred browser is these days?

Live Search isn't better or equal to Google. But maybe Bing will close the gap?

My parents think that there's just one search engine and it is Google. :)

** UPDATE **

Bing is online at www.bing.com

** UPDATE **

Bing is online at www.bing.com

A few experimental searches later, and it's really, really awful. I don't think Google has anything to worry about. It's full of spam, and the spam takes up 70% of the top 20 results on most searches.

A few experimental searches later, and it's really, really awful. I don't think Google has anything to worry about. It's full of spam, and the spam takes up 70% of the top 20 results on most searches.

Well the interface is clean and minimalistic, if you remove the mountains, then it feels like Google.

The interface is a real improvement compared to Live Search.

I have the feeling the engine itself is the same of Live Search, no?

Don't forget it is still Beta.

The people in USA can use more (beta) features as the rest of the world. And some localisations aren't ready yet.

My parents think that there's just one search engine and it is Google. :)

my folks often say to me (they forget the answer every time) "what, you can use other search engines other than Google?"
hehe

my folks often say to me (they forget the answer every time) "what, you can use other search engines other than Google?"
hehe

My dad, he's 70 or something, asked me which company is owning the internet :)