Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) running a little flat-footed
Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) has two options: turn Motorola Mobility into the best phone company in the world (which it isn’t, let’s be brutally honest); or optimize the business for short-term profits. Turning Motorola into a best-in-class phone will take more than just advertising and creating a better-looking phone. Google needs to take on a much more active role in developing Motorola phones, which may involve finding a need and satisfying it better than what Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) can do.
One of the problems I have with the Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) platform is that it’s purely mobile. You don’t have interaction between desktop, laptop devices and mobile devices. The development of a full ecosystem that addresses the need for integration between a desktop and mobile device should be pertinent to the company. After all, both Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Apple have fully vertical ecosystems. Apple is much more integrated than Microsoft. But let’s re-examine Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)’s changing business strategy with Windows 8
Windows 8 could hurt Android’s market share
Source: ComScore
To be fair, Microsoft hasn’t actually done much in terms of market-share gains. We can observe that domestically within the United States, Microsoft is at least making gains. The advantages that Microsoft has over Google are that Microsoft has a fully integrated ecosystem of products.
To be more specific, I believe that Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)’s Windows 8 makes it less difficult for users to go between a desktop, laptop, tablet and mobile device. File formats are fully supported between the devices. It also helps that more and more applications are purely accessible through the cloud.
It’s highly probable that Microsoft will continue to win consumers on its mobile platform. Not enough to make it the next king in mobile, but enough to at least establish itself a comfortable home in the space.
Conclusion
Never disregard the potential of Microsoft and Apple. If I were in Google’s position, I would think hard about Microsoft and the potential a full product suite of Windows devices could offer. Apple has been able to gain 3% market share in the United States, which shows that given enough time, Apple can steal back market share against its rivals. So given enough time, I see the potential in Apple taking away Android’s ever-growing market share in foreign markets. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s international strategy is truly methodical while Google’s is very spontaneous.
I still vote Apple. It’s only a matter of time before the Apple bug bites the hearts of consumers across every continent. While I won’t deny Samsung and HTC create compelling mobile products, it doesn’t change the fact that Apple is perhaps the best in the world at building long-term brand loyalists.
The article Apple Will Stand The Test Of Time originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Alexander Cho.
Alexander Cho has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Apple and Google. The Motley Fool owns shares of Apple, Google, and Microsoft. Alexander is a member of The Motley Fool Blog Network — entries represent the personal opinion of the blogger and are not formally edited.
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