Microsoft and Google are two of the biggest technology giants in the world. Both companies have been dominating the market with their innovative products and services. However, the competition between these two tech giants has become fierce over the past years. Microsoft’s dominance in the market, before the emergence of Google, was almost unchallenged. But, Google has now become a formidable opponent, and since then, the battle between these two corporations has intensified. Let’s take a look at how the rivalry of Microsoft and Google started.
Back in the late 1990s and the early 2000s, Microsoft was the undisputed king of the computer world with its Windows operating system. The company was a huge player in the search engine market too, with their product Internet Explorer. However, in 1998, two Stanford University students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, began working on a new search engine called Google. Google’s search algorithm revolutionized the way information was found on the internet, making it more efficient and intuitive. Google has since become a household name and is now synonymous with the word “search.”
Since the arrival of Google, Microsoft has had to adapt to the changing landscape of the market. Microsoft’s stronghold on the search engine and browser market was threatened by Google’s search engine and Chrome browser. Microsoft countered by releasing Bing, a search engine that it felt could compete with Google. However, despite spending billions on Bing, Microsoft has failed to make a substantial dent in Google’s search engine dominance.
Google then entered the operating system market with Google Chrome OS, which proved to be popular in the education sector with schools choosing it over Windows due to its low cost and easy-to-use features. Microsoft reacted by launching Windows 10s, a streamlined version of its operating system to compete with Chrome OS.
The battle between Microsoft and Google has also intensified in the cloud space. As businesses have shifted to the cloud in recent years, Microsoft’s Azure has become Google’s biggest competition. While Google has been playing catch up, trying to catch up with Azure’s growth in the cloud space, it has managed to attract major customers like Spotify and Twitter.
Both companies also have competing products in the workplace productivity market, Google’s G-Suite and Microsoft’s Office 365. Microsoft has been dominating this market for years, but Google has slowly been building up Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides to compete with the popular Office suite.
In 2020, Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella announced that the company is planning to compete with Google in the hardware market by launching a foldable dual-screen device called Surface Duo to take on Google’s Pixel lineup. The device is similar in size to Google’s Pixel 4 XL and will run a customized version of Android.
In conclusion, Microsoft and Google continue to compete fiercely with each other in multiple markets. Both companies are constantly trying to improve and innovate their products to capture more market share. It is uncertain who will come out on top, but what is clear is that the rivalry between Microsoft and Google will continue for years to come.