Google, Apple, Microsoft, and the strengths and weaknesses of the big three era-Google, Microsoft, Apple-IT information

Editor's Note: author Dare Obasanjo Microsoft Chief team project manager. This article lists Microsoft, Google and Apple's development of short, closely follow the trend of the times and constantly discussed the importance of innovation.

Clayton Christiansen's strong advocate of, the concept of disruptive innovation in fashion. He believes disruptive innovation through the introduction of simplicity, convenience, accessibility and affordability of these concepts to change the market or industry the complexity and high cost of the status quo.

However, this theory does not apply to all of the transformation and innovation of the industry. As we all know, iPhone is the opposite. First, it uses high technology costs, now its pervasiveness with pipes in the House. Nevertheless, in front of the iPhone, this theory is illustrated very well the current players also encounter what is game changing competitor reaction.

A very important phenomenon is that change in the industry rivals, many companies were unable to compete because they Excel at one thing but became negative factors previously. Polaroid and Kodak is not good at making the camera (just smartphone changes the rules of the game), paper maps are not good at drawing (just smartphone changes the rules of the game), take for instance the recent, taxis are not do not know how to transfer the passengers (just take a taxi software changed the rules of the game).

Big technology companies, like Microsoft and Google are experiencing the same problem, and now Apple is no exception.

Microsoft and Web 2.0

For 8 years, I have been following the Microsoft online services team do Windows Live. Think of the evolution of network services in a decade, and then look at Windows Live has just released reports and indeed thought-provoking. Excerpt highlights here:

Windows Live is a set of personal Internet services software, all the relationships, information, and people pay most attention to points of interest in one place, whether in personal computers, other equipment is on a Web page are more secure. Some earlier versions of the Microsoft Windows Live Update on evolution at http://ideas.live.com. There, people can get the latest beta version of Windows Live services.

Look above this link can be found on the Windows Live Ideas, as early as 10 years ago Windows Live have extended their tentacles into the hottest areas of customer service. For example, Spaces (social networking), QnA (question-and-answer forum similar to Quora), Exp0 (similar to the P2P platform for Etsy), phone Messenger applications (like WhatsApp robot functions in the background), and so on.

But there is one fact that made Microsoft was unable to escape. Although earlier it was involved in the user network service, but its focus continues to be on personal computer software company. Do not need to look too much, just focus on Window Live Web pages you can find clues in the near future. This area by the PC (especially Windows) effect as the center of this way of thinking, so people will be more or less all kinds of Web pages designed to form a Windows boot menu.

A PC-centric mindset evident not just in user interface design, and in software development and delivery is also evident. At that time, many technology companies are beginning to practice Steve Yegge in his lengthy speech, the good agile, bad agile mentioned in "good agile" team continues to push the software forward, and not, as previously, by the fixed release time to promote.

Window Live every two years or so, software updates, constantly mimic PC software, such as Office and Window Forms. In 2016, this updated every 2 years to the apparent lack of competitiveness. Now users have access to the applications and websites are updated every two weeks.

Google and social networking

About Google is not social it has talked a lot. Failed or is about to fail list can be listed a long list of the social network, including Blogger, Orkut, and Buzz, and Dodgeball, Latitude, Wave, Jaiku and Google recently Plus etc, can all prove this point. In fact, Google is currently developing 5 different types of chat software, hope that one of them will fire up, grasping at straws.

Read the following article, a glimpse into Google corporate culture built around social software the most inspiring comment.

This article was written by Google design ethicists. At Google, and his job is to tell people the social software is addictive, which have adverse effects on users. Following is a summary of the paper:

If you are an application, what can you use to attract others to use it? May wish to think of myself as a slot machine.

Cell phone 150 times a day on average. Why do you want to do it? 150 is a conscious choice? One important reason is that slot machines contain first and foremost psychological factors: intermittent variable reward.

Want to maximize people addicted to them, all technology designers need different behavior of a user (for example, upgrade) with different rewards link.

…

But there is an unfortunate truth--much in the pockets of millions of people would have a slot machines:

Remove the phone from his pocket and is the equivalent of playing slot machines to see what for notifying.

Refresh messages, the equivalent of playing slot machines to see what new messages you receive.

Slide the fingers down Instagram share, equivalent to playing slot machines to see what next will be.

…

Now, like Apple and big companies like Google have an obligation to reduce these impacts. They should continue to provide a better design, to convert intermittent variable reward not easily addictive but more predictable reward. For example, allow people in one day or the time of a scheduled a week to check "slot machine" this application, and depending on the received message to adjust accordingly.

Looking at Facebook, Snapchat or any other popular social software, and any other staff duties was introduced to ridicule their apps so that people see the phone so many times?

But Google has such a position. This is not what is non-social.

Just like in Windows Live, someone's job is to ensure that before a software release, several months to plan, a few months to test. Usually takes only a few hours you'll find the user doesn't like it (so back to the drafting stage to start, once again for 2 years). This is unlikely to succeed, we've written scripts in advance.

Apple and artificial intelligence

This weekend I stream covered with a Marco Arment wrote the article avoid BlackBerry fate's comments. Article excerpts are as follows:

In 2007, no new initiatives, management changes or mergers can save a BlackBerry. Because the difference is too big, it's too late.

Today, Amazon, Facebook and Google in advanced artificial intelligence, all-powerful aides as well as great bet voice-interface, hope that these can be successfully leading the next trend.

If they bet on--and of course if the components are very large--I would be very worried about Apple.

Now, Apple was doing, on the whole doing very well. But once development began to shift priority to big data intelligence service it, Apple's situation will be much different from a decade ago BlackBerry: can do well enough, but could not catch up.

Amazon, and Facebook and Google--, especially Google--have spent huge sums of investment in data network services as well as years of artificial intelligence, not only far ahead, and continued upgrading, continue to collect relevant data to develop efficient algorithms and countless professional genius super-smart.

If we ignore Microsoft Cortana and our CEO insight platform of dialogue, these are indeed correct. But with the artificial intelligence development directions of Google search, Google CEO also responded positively to the CEO of this view.

Artificial intelligence (AI) description, no wonder it is a combination of the following two trends; people arising from data obtained by daily application, plus essential data to identify patterns of machine learning.

Google Inbox is an email client, has magical powers. The same message can be given a different set of answers for your reference, but also very reasonable and decent.

Google can do this, is because their software reads an email from hundreds of millions of billions of people reply, had detected a certain question-and-answer mode. If anyone wants to compete with it, and need to cross the following difficulties:

1. gather enough user activity data

2. have the ability to analyze this data

Many people focus on the second challenge for Apple, but in fact this problem is easy to solve, because people can easily hire or buy the way to success. For example, Facebook bought Instagram, Google bought YouTube, Microsoft bought Halo franchise.

However, the 1th Apple faces an even greater challenge, because it is a cultural problem and hit the company's core. Last year, Apple CEO criticizes Google and Facebook get privacy behavior. At that time, the guardian's reports are as follows:

As TechCrunch reported that, the speech doesn't have to be a strong attack. "As a people in Silicon Valley, I stand here today to make a speech. In Silicon Valley, where many famous successful companies coaxed customers around, let them feel smug to display personal information, so as to play one day. "Mr Cook said.

"They desperately want to take everything you've learned and try to liquidate. I don't think that's right, Apple never will become that company. ”

Although Cooke did not specifically indicate which company, but he explicitly referred to the recent Google photo service, directed at Google.

"We believe that customers should control their own information. Chances are you'll enjoy the so-called free service, but we think it's not worth you out your email address, search history, and even family photos. They once this information is gathered, sold, God knows for what purpose, "he said. "We believe that customers will one day find its true face. ”

Once you believe industry trends with its principle of conflict, then it's hard to be competitive. The other hand, if people use some common App interface design into a Star Trek-like a computer, how many people would think it was a horrible thing? As far as I know, no one.

Someone said to me a few years ago, without a physical keyboard, mobile phone no one will buy it, will never have the same commercial software sold online advertising value. In a sense, Apple is such a company.

I wish them the best of luck, because they'll be used.

谷歌、苹果、微软，三大巨头新时代的优势与劣势 - 谷歌,微软,苹果 - IT资讯

编者按：作者Dare Obasanjo为微软首席团队项目经理。本文列举了Microsoft、Google以及Apple各自的发展短板，论述了紧跟时代潮流不断创新的重要性。

在Clayton Christiansen的大力宣扬下，破坏性创新这一观念开始流行。他认为破坏性创新通过引进简洁性、便利性、可达性以及可支付性这几个理念，来改变市场或行业的复杂化以及成本高额化这一现状。

然而这条理论并不适用于所有行业的变革创新。众所周知，iPhone就反其道而行之。一开始，它采用的技术成本很高，现在其普及程度却跟家里的水管一般了。尽管如此，在iPhone面前，这一理论还是很好地阐释了当前玩家遇到改变游戏规则的竞争对手时是什么反应。

很重要的一个现象是，在行业变革竞争对手面前，很多公司都无法应对竞争，因为它们先前擅长的东西反倒成了不利因素。宝丽来和柯达并不是不擅长制作相机了（只是智能手机改变了游戏规则）；纸质地图并不是不擅长绘图了（只是智能手机改变了游戏规则）；就拿最近的来说，出租车并不是不知道如何接送乘客了（只是打车软件改变了游戏规则）。

大型科技公司，像Microsoft和Google都遇到了同样的问题，现如今Apple也不例外。

Microsoft和Web 2.0

8年来，我一直跟随 Microsoft在线服务团队做Windows Live。想想这十年来网络服务的进化历程，再回顾Windows Live刚发布时的报道，的确引人深思。这里摘录部分精彩内容：

Windows Live是一组个人网络服务软件，集所有关系、信息以及人们最关注的兴趣点于一处，不论是在个人电脑，其他设备还是网页上，都更具安全性。Microsoft将某些早期版本的 Windows Live更新演变放在了http://ideas.live.com 上。在那里，人们可以获取最新的Windows Live测试版服务。

稍微回顾一下上面这篇关于Windows Live Ideas的链接就可以发现，早在10年前Windows Live就已经把触角延伸到了如今最热的用户服务领域了。例如Spaces (社交网络)、QnA (类似于Quora的问答论坛)、Exp0 (类似于Etsy的P2P平台)、手机上面的Messenger应用（像WhatsApp后台的机器人功能）等等。

但有一个事实却让微软无法逃避。尽管早期它算是参与了用户网络服务，但其侧重点仍然是个人电脑软件公司。不需要看太多，只消关注下Window Live近期的网页就可以发现点端倪。该领域深受以个人电脑（尤其是Windows）为中心这一思维方式的影响，因此人们或多或少会将各种网页设计成Windows开机菜单的形式。

以个人电脑为中心的思维模式不仅仅在用户界面设计上显而易见，在软件开发与交付使用时也很明显。当时，许多科技公司都开始实践 Steve Yegge 在他的长篇大论《好敏捷，坏敏捷》中提到的“好敏捷”，靠团队不断地推动软件快速前进，而不是像先前那样由固定的发布时间来推动。

Window Live每隔两年左右就进行一次软件更新，不断模仿像Window和Office这样的个人电脑软件表现形式。进入到2016年，这种每隔2年才更新的应用显然缺乏竞争力。而今用户们接触到的应用及网站都是每隔一两周就更新了。

Google和社交化

关于Google并未社交化这一点已经聊得很多了。失败的或者马上要失败的社交网络产品清单可以列一长串，包括Blogger、Orkut、Buzz、Dodgeball、Latitude、Wave、Jaiku以及最近的Google Plus等，都证明了这一点。事实上，Google目前开发了5种不同的聊天软件，寄希望于其中的一个能够火起来，成为救命稻草。

阅读下面这篇文章，可以一窥Google企业文化中围绕社交软件构建方面最具启发性的评论。

此文是Google一位设计伦理学家写的。在Google，他的工作内容是告诉人们社交软件会让人上瘾，从而对使用者造成不良影响。以下是文中的一段摘要：

如果说你是一个应用程序，你会用什么方式来吸引别人使用呢？不妨把自己想象成一台老虎机吧。

人们平均一天看手机150次。为什么要这么做呢？这150次都是有意识的选择吗？重要原因之一在于老虎机中蕴含的首要心理学因素：间歇性变量奖励。

想让人们最大限度地沉溺其中，所有科技设计者需要将用户的不同行为（比如说升级）跟不同的奖励挂钩。

…

但有一个不幸的真理——多大几百万人的口袋里都有这么一台老虎机：

从口袋中取出手机，就相当于玩玩老虎机看看又有了哪些通知。

刷新邮件，相当于玩玩老虎机看看会收到什么新邮件。

向下滑动手指看Instagram分享，相当于玩玩老虎机看看下一张图片会是什么。

…

现如今，像Apple和Google这样的大公司有义务减少这些方面的影响。它们应该不断提供更好的设计，将间歇性变量奖励转化为不轻易让人上瘾却更具预测性的奖励。举个例子来说，允许人们可以在一天或者一周的某个时段定时来检查“老虎机”这个应用程序，并根据不同时段接收到的消息来相应调整。

纵观Facebook、Snapchat或者其他热门的社交软件，还有哪个工作人员的职责是来吐槽他们自己推出的应用软件让人们看手机的次数太多了？

但是Google却有这样的职位。这不是非社交化是什么。

就像在Windows Live,有人的工作职责是保证一款软件发布之前，有几个月的时间来计划，几个月的时间来测试。结果往往只需要几个小时就会发现用户其实并不喜欢它（于是又回到草拟阶段重新开始，一干又2年）。这样是不可能成功的，我们都已经提前写好脚本了。

Apple和人工智能

本周末我的信息流上面布满了对Marco Arment所写的《避免重蹈黑莓覆辙》一文的评论。文章节选如下：

2007年，没有任何新举措、管理变革或者并购能拯救黑莓。因为差距已然太大了，一切都太迟了。

如今，Amazon、Facebook和Google在先进的人工智能、无所不能的助手以及语音界面上下了很大的赌注，寄希望于这些可以成功引领下一个潮流。

如果他们赌对了——当然假使的成分非常大——我就会很担忧Apple。

现在，Apple亦步亦趋，整体上来看做得很好。但是一旦发展前景开始转移到大数据人工智能服务优先这上面的话，苹果的处境将跟十年前的黑莓差不多：把能做的做好已然不够，却也无法赶超了。

Amazon、Facebook和Google——尤其是Google——都花重金投资在大数据网络服务以及人工智能上好多年了，不但遥遥领先，而且还在持续更新换代，不断搜集相关数据，发展有效算法，将无数的专业天才招致麾下。

如果忽视Microsoft Cortana以及我们CEO在平台化对话方面的见解，上述种种确实非常正确。但是随着人工智能成为Google搜索未来的发展方向，Google CEO也积极响应了我们CEO的这一观点。

关于人工智能（AI）的描述，无怪乎是以下两个趋势的结合；人们大量活动产生的大数据通过日常应用程序来获取，再加上本质为数据识别模式的机器学习。

Google Inbox是一个电子邮件客户端，拥有神奇的魔力。同一封邮件可以给出一系列不同的答案供参考，而且还非常合理得体。

Google之所以能做成这样，是因为它们的软件读取了数亿数十亿人回复的邮件，早已探测到了某些特定的问答模式。如果谁想跟它竞争的话，需要跨越以下几大难关：

1.搜集足够多的用户活动数据

2.具备分析这些数据的能力

许多人把注意力集中在Apple面临的第二个挑战上，但实际上这个问题很容易解决，因为人们总是可以轻易地通过雇佣或购买的方式走向成功。例如，Facebook买了Instagram, Google买了YouTube, Microsoft买了Halo franchise.

然而，第一点才是苹果面临的更大挑战，因为这是个文化问题，直击公司内核。去年Apple CEO批判了Facebook和Google获取用户隐私的行为。当时，卫报对此的报道如下：

就像TechCrunch报导的那样，此次演讲并不具备多么有力的抨击性。“作为一个硅谷人，今天我站在这里给大家做演讲。在硅谷，许多著名的成功企业把客户们哄得团团转，让他们对展示个人信息感到沾沾自喜，从而打出一片天。”库克说到。

“他们急切地想抓住可以跟你们学到的一切，并努力变现。我认为那是错的，苹果也绝不会成为那样的公司。”

尽管库克没有具体地指出是哪些公司，但是他明确地提到了Google最近发布的照片服务，矛头直指Google。

“我们坚信客户应该掌控自身的信息。有可能你会喜欢这种所谓的免费服务，但是我们认为这并不值得你泄露自己的邮箱地址、搜索历史，甚至家庭照片。他们搜集到这些信息后，廉价出售，天知道用于什么广告用途呢”,他说道。“我们认为，客户总有一天会发现它的真实面目。”

一旦你坚信行业趋势跟自身认可的原则相冲突，那么你就很难具备竞争力。另一方面，如果人们用某些常用 App将计算机界面设计成星际迷航式，有多少人会认为这是一件恐怖的事呢？据我所知，没有一个人。

若干年前有人对我说过，无实体键盘的手机没人会买，在线广告绝不会有软件出售一样的商业价值。从某种意义上说，Apple就像是这么一个公司。

祝他们好运吧，因为他们马上就用得上了。