Although you may have thought I was going to go on a political rant about how China will overtake the US, I’m actually going to talk about which company I think will take over the world.
The discussion that follows is based on different articles I’ve read, but also based on my ‘gut’ feeling. After watching many an NCIS episiode, I know that Gibbs (the main character) always has a gut feeling, and it’s usually right. Even though my gut may not be as well-tuned as his, I’m going to take a stab at trying to pick a winner. Do note, “winning” here is also poorly defined. I hope this doesn’t upset readers, put I wanted this to be more of a discussion, than a “this is my opinion, you must listen to me” kind of post.
Our three choices: Google, Apple & Facebook. Some may have wanted to add Amazon to this list, but I chose not to.
Unless you’re barely on the internet, you now know that Google has created its own social network, Google +. In my opinion, Google’s inability to grasp social in the past (fails with Buzz and the Wave come to mind) has made me think that they might not be able to compete with Facebook. Although I still have to see if the amount of every day users transfer over to Google + (God knows us social media folk attach ourselves to everything) I think it has potential. They thought out what people may want long term and have used that to their advantage.
What Google has done, and always done well, is search. Because they have the search capabilities down, and the data that comes from search, their revenue stream could potentially surpass Facebook advertisements because they are able to focus so quickly. Where Facebook works based on your ‘likes’ which tend not to change too often over time, and Google understands your searches, which change everyday, Google may come out on top.
APPLE
As Apple has changed the way we look at music over the past years, they continue to rope us in long term. After reading Guy Kawasaki’s Enchantment, it’s easy to see Apple not only wants your money, but truly wants to change your life. I know Amazon is trying to compete later this year with it’s own tablet (I considered adding them to this list) but I just don’t see it being able to compete with the iPad. A lot of tech items are based off of the functionality of what Apple products can do, and I just don’t see many other people being able to compete with that.
Although Apple has a cult following for it’s products and the app store, average customers don’t have a way to really go in depth into the brand. The products are awesome, and there is certainly a community there, but I’m not sure the average consumer is able to build on that.
Also, I worry for Apple because of Steve Jobs. SO much of the company’s perception relies on him being there, and that makes me worry a little for the future.
Facebook has so many members that log on constantly and update a lot. Although people who like social media use the other tools too (Twitter, Foursquare, Linkedin) people use Facebook because they honestly feel left out if they don’t. I think it will be difficult to get everyone to move someplace else. But then again, we all had AOL didn’t we?
Here’s @GaryVee giving his educated opinion on the matter.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sa3wUxALppY]
MY CHOICE
As a user of all three, it’s certainly hard to say. They all bring innovation, enchantment, and that sort of cult following you can’t find most places. I want to reiterate that these are just a few points I had while thinking about it, I KNOW I am missing a lot of key information, and I have based a lot of my decision on my gut feeling.
If I HAD to make a choice, long term, i see Google winning the race. Search is kind of a big deal.
What are your opinions?
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