Perhaps the most exciting tech battle to watch: Google's (GOOG) intensifying clash with fellow titan Microsoft (MSFT), as the two square off in almost every major line of business.
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The latest: In the last few months, each company has launched a direct attack on their arch rival's most important business. Most recently, Google announced that it was developing a desktop operating system, Chrome OS, and Microsoft launched a new search engine, Bing.
Google's success or failure with its operating system attack will be particularly interesting to watch, as it's Google's first attempt to disrupt Microsoft's most important business. Redmond has enjoyed many years (and billions of dollars) on top of the operating system market with DOS and Windows, and besides Apple, no one's been able to obtain share in the consumer market.
But Chrome OS -- starting with cheap, mobility-focused netbooks -- promises to be fast, simple, and -- important -- free to gadget makers, which are already facing paper-thin margins on netbooks, and pressure to cut costs. If Google can make a great user interface and link easily to cloud services like the Web, Google search, GMail, and Google chat, then the Windows juggernaut could be at risk.
Why does that matter? During Microsoft's last fiscal year, Windows contributed 25% of Microsoft's revenue and 53% of its operating profit.
Meanwhile, Microsoft is attacking Google's biggest business, search. Its most recent product launch, Bing, is a good product that's been just a modest success so far: Microsoft's share of the U.S. search market was 8.4% in June, up from 8.0% in May, according to comScore.
Perhaps more important: It looks like Microsoft is close to finally signing a search and advertising partnership with Yahoo. While that takes one of Google's enemies out of its sights, it means that its lone major rival will have more resources and motivation behind it.
Why does this matter to Microsoft? Because it's burned through billions of dollars over the last few years trying to be a big player on the Web, and it will have great hopes and expectations for its deal with Yahoo. And for Google, because search generates more than 90% of its revenue, and funds many of its unprofitable, maybe-Microsoft-killing projects, such as Google Apps, Chrome OS, and Android.
But those are just two of the many fronts in Google's war with Microsoft.
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谷歌试图灭了微软的10个方法
谷歌和老大哥微软在彼此主打产品间的相继开战为我们带来了最激动人心的技术战。
请点击来看谷歌试图灭了微软的10个方法→
在最近的几个月里，两个公司都针对对方的最核心业务发出了最直接的挑战。最近，谷歌宣布公司正在开发一套桌面操作系统，Chrome OS，而微软最近则推出了一款新的搜索引擎，Bing（必应）。
谷歌在操作系统上的成败是个很个很大的看点，这是谷歌首次向微软的最核心业务开战。这么多年来，微软一直依靠DOS和Windows在操作系统占统治地位（盈利几十亿美元），除了苹果的操作系统外没有人还能从消费者市场分到一杯羹。
但是 Chrome OS -- 首先出现在了便宜的，便携的上网本中-- 操作起来速度快而简单-- 更为重要的是 -- 对于那些面临成本压力，且薄利的上网本厂商而言，这完全是免费的。如果谷歌能做出一个很完美的用户界面，并能很简单的链接到云服务，如网页，谷歌搜索，谷歌邮箱，和谷歌聊天工具，那么微软的势力也将收到威胁。
为什么会有这样的效果呢? 在微软去年的财报中，Windows操作系统的收益占了微软总收入的25%，占运营利润的53%。
同时，微软也在向谷歌的最大业务---搜索引擎，发起冲击。在微软最近发布的产品，Bing（必应），到目前为止算是成功的：根据comScore公司的调查显示，微软在全美的搜索引擎市场的占有率从5月份的8%上升到6月份的8.4%。
更为重要的是：微软将在搜索引擎和广告方面与雅虎进行合作。虽然微软的这一做法帮助谷歌除掉了一个竞争对手，但是，这也意味着微软，谷歌的主要对手，又获得了更多的资源和动力。
为什么与雅虎的合作对微软很重要呢？微软在过去的几年里已经花费巨资，试图做大其互联网的业务，而与雅虎的合作为其带来了希望。 对谷歌而言，搜索引擎是其90%的利润来源，许多非赢利的项目，如火拼微软的几个项目：Google Apps办公工具, Chrome OS浏览器及 Android机器人，这些项目的科研经费都源于此。
这只是谷歌与微软之战许多看点中的两个。
请点击查看谷歌试图灭了微软的10个方法 →