Looks like one more aspect of our online lives has joined the Google network! I got a notice that someone commented on my blog, and when I clicked the link, it turned out to be a connection to a Goggle log-in. That's a change! Of course I haven't blogged in ages, so it may have happened months ago, but it both did and didn't surprise me.
I was not surprised, in part because of the cover article of the most recent Fast Company Magazine: Why Google Will Win. There is no source I respect more with regard to the future of commerce than Fast Company. So I'm thinking about it. I've been using Gmail for several years & I love it. Google+ may not have launched in a major way yet, but it certainly has potential. I have started using GoogleDocs at work, and am seriously considering moving from laptop to iPad in part because GoogleDocs would make it easy to move away from Microsoft Office. So I give them credit. And it's not like I use any other search engine (outside of dissertation work) right? I even have my own customized iGoogle page.
But it turns out that the article above is actually a small sidebar part of a larger article: The Great Tech War of 2012. The Fast Company writers actually make a case for each of the 4 big tech companies: Google, Apple, Amazon and Facebook. So it may or may not be Google; maybe that's just the cover of the mag that was delivered to my house - like New York and other mags, it looks like they could have 4 different covers this month.
So what of the other 3? I'm not sure Why Facebook Will Win, but I have to admit I spend a lot of time on Facebook - in fact, it facilitates much of what I used to do here on Blogspot. I can share articles & other links easily. I can keep up with people that I love but am too busy to spend much time with. It's a great source of commentary on current events! It's even what we used this past year to facilitate communication for our 25th high school reunion.
As for Why Apple Will Win, I've been a Mac devotee for years! My first husband was, and I became one through our original Mac desktop back in the mid-90's when internet was dial-up, but we were thrilled to have it. The computers are a better product. I've used Mac laptops for almost a decade. The iPod didn't do a lot for me, though I used it. Now I have an iPhone and it's fabulous. Faster internet than my Blackberry, much better calendar synching - the real reason I switched - and of course I can play Scrabble with people across the country. Love it!
Amazon - not so much. I always resented that they squashed our wonderful Minneapolis Amazon Bookstore - and for no good reason that I could figure out. So I don't use it when other sites (like B&N) have an item.
It will be interesting to see how all of this unfolds in the coming year!
