gmail out of beta
Ivan | Tue, 2009-07-07 16:41Google stripped the Beta from Gmail and Google Apps. What does it mean? Nothing really. The free Google Apps for your domain is still available on this link:
http://www.google.com/apps/intl/en/group/index.html
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yeah, i thought it was kinda silly that they hadn't removed the beta tag before now.
Unlike Facebook, Google was smart enough to keep it in "beta" so they could change it every bloody week. Stop playing with the labels, Google! Ha ha. :D
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Dirt and Rust
but Google by doing this effectively changed the meaning of Beta.
Not really changed it per se, just abused it.
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Dirt and Rust
It does, however, mean that google apps are now charged for (though, as you point out, the ones for your domain aren't).
So I have to pay for using Google Apps on regular gmail?
After a closer look - It looks like the standard (add supported) version is still free, though it looks like they've lowered the quoters for storage space, etc. The business edition is paid.
A Chrome based operating system which will most likely be licensed for pennies. I bet Steve Ballmer threw a couple of chairs this morning.
it's been rumored for a long time. i'll reserve any judgment on "MS-killer" until we see if/what it can do. it's based on a linux kernel. is it essentially going to be another flavor of unix? will it truly be a full operating system? who'll write for it? what incentives do businesses have to migrate from windows?
sorry, if apple can't kill MS, i doubt a latecomer like google can kill them. at best, i see the google OS being mostly a niche product that doesn't really compete for peoples' desktops/laptops. maybe netbooks.
Well I don't think it's something that's geared for workstations. From what I read it's an web operating system that's geared for netbooks.
I think there is a lot for Mircosoft too be scared of. In the netbook market we've already seen a reluctance from manufacturers to pay for Windows licenses. Opting instead to try cheaper Linux variants, and even begin porting Android. If Google makes it sound and attractive I think manufacturers of mobile computers will flock to it, and I do believe that is the next big computer market. We've reached a level where the masses are realizing they don't big strong machines, but something that let's them do the basics.
Ultimately the most interesting thing I find in all this is how things have come full circle for Microsoft. As a young company they practically gave away Windows licenses because it brought people into their eco-system and let users into their Office products. Once they became the power they made a change and became very dependant on profiting from selling Windows licenses. Now we are back at square one with Google likely able to give this OS away because it will lead users into their eco-system of online apps.
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I wanted to add one last point in response to your claim that Apple can't kill MS. Apple isn't even trying to compete with MS, much less kill them. Apple is in competition with PC manufacturers, and is doing a damn good job because they provide a superior experience. Apple would only really enter into competition with MS if they ever decided to set OS-X free, which we know will never happen. So needless to say I can't agree with the statement that Google could not pose a threat to MS because Apple can't. Apple is interested in a different market, while Google is positioning itself to go head to head with Microsoft.
of *course* apple is competing with MS. that's exactly what they're selling, that the apple experience is better than the MS experience.
if you think netbooks are the new frontier in computing, i think you're highly mistaken. sure, it's a new market and it has potential, but it's still a niche market. and while MS wants that market (hence the light version of win7 that's aimed at netbooks), not winning that market isn't going to scare them.
i don't remember MS "practically giving away" windows licenses, and i actually sold PCs in the early days of windows.
i think you have a very odd perspective on the world of computing in general. and that you like being contrary even more than me.
If you want to simplify things then yes Apple is competing with Microsoft. However you will not convince me of that. Apple manufactures computers, and is in direct competition with other PC manufacturers. Dell, HP, Compaq, Sony and so on, these are Apple's direct competitors.
The fact that all other PC manufacturers use Windows has proved to be an advantage in the last decade, because it set's Apple apart from their competitors. However it doesn't change reality.
Look at the business models and tell me that Apple is competing with Microsoft. It's just not true. Their entire business model is different and based on a different way of thinking and doing things. In certain areas, you could say Microsoft is competing against Apple. The Zune copied Apple's business model completely, but as far as the core business it's just not true.
The only reason people say it, is because everyone associates their computer with Windows. However it's just an industry association created by Microsoft's monopoly. If I made car tyres and sold them to everyone but BMW, who went with Bridgestone, would you say I'm competing with BMW? Or am I competing with Bridgestone?
Apple wants to sell you a computer
Dell wants to sell you a computer
Microsoft wants to sell you ...
except apple sells you a computer with (as marketing) the OS, the user experience, as the differentiator. their entire marketing campaign, as a computer company, is the difference between the operating systems.
yes, they build computers. and in that sense, they compete with dell, hp, et al. but as time passes, their computers are more similar to the dell, hp, et al than they ever were. as opposed to 10 years ago, most of their components are from the same sources. their hardware is no longer the same kind of proprietary. the hard drive, the memory, the video cards, the intel chips...
so what's the biggest difference? the OS. and that's what they "sell." and that's why they compete with MS. how often do you hear/see the names dell, HP, gateway, or lenovo in their marketing? never. when they talk about "PC," all they talk about is the MS experience.
so maybe *you* don't see them as competing against MS, but *they* sure do.
I'm afraid we will not be using Google OS for a long time, I don't think Photoshop and InDesign will run on a browser for the next 5 years.
You never know though...
http://aviary.com/home
https://www.photoshop.com/express/landing.html
I think the thing to watch for is small tools that do the smaller jobs well - they could certainly appear online.
There are few out there who use every feature of photoshop, illustrator and indesign, but there are lots of people (even lots of designers/creatives) who use a small subset.
I agree with you.
I too noticed that Google are becoming more sneaky. Take Google Checkout for example, it went from being one of the cheapest card processing options out there, to one of the most expensive ones in a matter of weeks at the beginning of this year.
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