Microsoft Office vs.Google Docs: A Web Apps Showdown

PC World - The future may be the cloud, but it also may be Microsoft that ushers us into that realm of possibility and imagination. Today, Redmond unveiled as a part of Office 2010 a suite of Microsoft Office Web apps that will compete directly with Google Docs. While Microsoft isn't letting anyone play around with the apps just yet, on paper, Microsoft's Web apps look like they could blow Google's online services out of the water -- beta or no beta.

Forget about the half measures of Office Live Workspace; Microsoft's new Web apps will let you create, edit and save documents right online. Here's a quick head-to-head between Google and Microsoft Web apps.

(See related: Visual Overview of Office 2010 Features)

PriceFor personal users, Microsoft's Web apps will cost the same as Google Docs: nothing. All you'll need is a Window Live ID, and you'll be able to use Excel, OneNote, PowerPoint, and Word online for free.

Winner: Tie

Look and FeelGoogle Docs has a very nice basic feel to it, in keeping with the simplicity and ease of use that Google brings to its products. Microsoft, however, has no qualms about complicating things, and this time that attitude may yield good results. Microsoft says its Web apps will have a similar look and feel as their desktop counterparts, including the Ribbon feature. Microsoft also promises the Web versions of your formatted documents will render properly in most browsers, including Internet Explorer, Safari and Firefox. There's no word on Microsoft's plans for the Chrome or Opera browsers.

Winner: Microsoft. You may have to switch browsers if you're a Chrome head or Opera freak, but that's a small price to pay for the look and feel of Microsoft Office in your Web browser.

Intel says - China, Indonesia led Asian PC sales higher in Q2

IDG News Service - Stronger PC demand from consumers in China and Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia, gave Intel's Asian business a boost during the second quarter, the company said Wednesday.

"It reflects the strength in Asia relative to the rest of the world, particularly China and Southeast Asia. Both of them look pretty good in terms of PC consumption," said Navin Shenoy, vice president of Intel's sales and marketing group and general manager of the company's Asia-Pacific operations.

Intel reported second-quarter revenue in Asia of US$4.4 billion, down 8 percent from $4.8 billion during the same period last year. But revenue from the region was up 21 percent over the first quarter of this year, a sequential increase of $762 million. That helped to raise the percentage of Intel's second-quarter revenue that came from Asia to 55 percent, from 51 percent last year.

Overall, Intel reported a net loss for the period of $398 million on worldwide revenue of $8 billion. The company's results were dragged into the red by a one-time $1.4 billion antitrust fine levied by the European Commission in May.

While Asian sales outperformed demand from other geographical regions, not all of the chips sold in Asia end up in the hands of Asian users. Asia is home to most of the world's largest computer hardware makers, and Intel chips sold in Asia are often used to manufacture computers that are shipped to customers in other parts of the world. Still, demand for computers from Asian consumers was relatively strong during the second quarter.

"As I look around the region, I see relatively stronger PC sales in China and Southeast Asia than in other parts of the world," Shenoy said, adding that consumer PC sales in these markets are also higher than they were during the same period last year."

Chrome will be different but won't replace Windows

The following is a reader-written article from David Pinkus, a former high-level Google employee who is now senior vice president of information technology for Universal Technical Institute.

I think a lightweight, browser-only operating system has been a long-time coming. It's the actualization of what the network computer dream has been; albeit with the predictable concessions that the network isn't always available, and you need something resident on the machine itself to make it useful. But I was still surprised when I heard NPR lead off its Morning Edition newscast with Google's "Attack on Microsoft." Is it going to displace the Microsoft Windows desktops in most companies? Is it a harbinger of a new computing model? Here's what I think we'll see happen in the next 18-24 months:

Is Google the only one that benefits?Google obviously benefits from having more users do more searches with Google. This is the "long tail" concept. Even if a particular ad only nets Google a fraction of a penny, with enough of those fractions, those ads create significant income. But others win, too. For hardware vendors, having a free operating system and browser that require minimal support, and come from a brand with a lot of consumer goodwill, is a big win. Consider how a PC OEM will feel if relieved of the support burden and associated costs (both material and to its reputation) simply to help new PC users "get started" with today's operating systems.

Can Google be counted on to secure its new OS?I think so. First, there's the whole open-source-is-more-secure argument. More eyeballs on your source code theoretically means more people looking for vulnerabilities (and exploits). Google could have a leg-up overall. The leaner the operating system, the less things exist that could be compromised.Will the Chrome OS alienate Android developers?If Android developers were under the impression that Android would be as available on netbooks as readily as Windows 7, then perhaps, but I think Google's approach here is simpler. Forget the OS, forget apps, do everything in a browser. Android is when you need more than what a browser does. (Also see: Chrome OS: Blinding Android?)