Why Google targets Microsoft.
The latest speculative salvo in the arsenal is that Google's ad platform, when used on Windows Phone is now being gimped to try and drive developers away. And this has a lot of people questioning why Google would even bother attacking Microsoft, especially on their phone OS.
Firstly, I don't pretend to know the truth about the admob situation. I don't use it, and I sure as hell don't know the exact reasons why. It certainly DOES seem suspicious. But that is all I, or anyone not directly related with this, can say at the moment.
The other question however, I can answer. Why would Google bother attacking the lowly Windows Phone? People only see market share and not potential. Windows Phone is the only real competitor which can possibly do anything to Google's dominance. Forget the current market share and look at everything else. Apple isn't a threat. They love their huge margins and have no present interest in attacking the budget category. They don't license their OS. And they also don't sell ads themselves.
So, while from a market share perspective, Apple seems like the likely target, they really aren't. Apple's practices are self limiting and their scope isn't comparatively broad.
Microsoft on the other hand is perfectly willing to sell devices at any price point. They're willing to license the OS to OEM's that will target any price point and they even have their own search and ad revenue businesses. MS competes with Google on many more fronts than Apple does. And Google is well aware that they are more likely to lose their OS dominance from a vendor of entry level devices than a vendor that deals only in the premium tiers.
The other thing that I think people miss is just how much Google has already done to stop the platform from growing. Google has not only refused to supply apps. They have in many cases blocked developers, including Microsoft, from accessing their API's to produce their own apps for Google's services. And, with Google being the number one mobile device maker, you have a lot of people heavily tied into their services. One of the biggest complaints from people leaving the platform or refusing to go to it, is the lack of Google services on the platform. No one knows for sure how much larger, but I think those in the know are well aware that WP would have a larger base if it had Google's services.
And, if Google is indeed doing this with the ads, I doubt that they would ever openly admit to it. I'd be willing to wager that they have a monopoly in the mobile device ad revenue market and this would clearly be anti-competitive tactics. Basically, it boils down to trying to starve devs off of another platform and it would certainly make the "scroogled" ads from MS earlier ring a lot truer to a lot more people.
Honestly, the drops are reported as being as bad as anywhere from a 50% to 80% f revenue drop, effectively as of the announcement at Build. Also, very suspicious that Google hasn't responded to the allegations. Microsoft likely hasn't said anything due to lack of proof. But Google should consider these allegations very seriously. These are developers leveraging Googles platforms. These same developers very likely also develop their apps on Android as well. The only reason I can see for Google not responding is because they can't honestly refute the claims or explain the changes. But, again... could be completely benign. As others have said, as revenue is fickly to begin with or it could be a legitimate error in the backend code.
At the end of the day however, if Google is indeed attacking Microsoft, they are attacking the correct target. No one else competes with them on as many core areas to their business as MS.
Firstly, I don't pretend to know the truth about the admob situation. I don't use it, and I sure as hell don't know the exact reasons why. It certainly DOES seem suspicious. But that is all I, or anyone not directly related with this, can say at the moment.
The other question however, I can answer. Why would Google bother attacking the lowly Windows Phone? People only see market share and not potential. Windows Phone is the only real competitor which can possibly do anything to Google's dominance. Forget the current market share and look at everything else. Apple isn't a threat. They love their huge margins and have no present interest in attacking the budget category. They don't license their OS. And they also don't sell ads themselves.
So, while from a market share perspective, Apple seems like the likely target, they really aren't. Apple's practices are self limiting and their scope isn't comparatively broad.
Microsoft on the other hand is perfectly willing to sell devices at any price point. They're willing to license the OS to OEM's that will target any price point and they even have their own search and ad revenue businesses. MS competes with Google on many more fronts than Apple does. And Google is well aware that they are more likely to lose their OS dominance from a vendor of entry level devices than a vendor that deals only in the premium tiers.
The other thing that I think people miss is just how much Google has already done to stop the platform from growing. Google has not only refused to supply apps. They have in many cases blocked developers, including Microsoft, from accessing their API's to produce their own apps for Google's services. And, with Google being the number one mobile device maker, you have a lot of people heavily tied into their services. One of the biggest complaints from people leaving the platform or refusing to go to it, is the lack of Google services on the platform. No one knows for sure how much larger, but I think those in the know are well aware that WP would have a larger base if it had Google's services.
And, if Google is indeed doing this with the ads, I doubt that they would ever openly admit to it. I'd be willing to wager that they have a monopoly in the mobile device ad revenue market and this would clearly be anti-competitive tactics. Basically, it boils down to trying to starve devs off of another platform and it would certainly make the "scroogled" ads from MS earlier ring a lot truer to a lot more people.
Honestly, the drops are reported as being as bad as anywhere from a 50% to 80% f revenue drop, effectively as of the announcement at Build. Also, very suspicious that Google hasn't responded to the allegations. Microsoft likely hasn't said anything due to lack of proof. But Google should consider these allegations very seriously. These are developers leveraging Googles platforms. These same developers very likely also develop their apps on Android as well. The only reason I can see for Google not responding is because they can't honestly refute the claims or explain the changes. But, again... could be completely benign. As others have said, as revenue is fickly to begin with or it could be a legitimate error in the backend code.
At the end of the day however, if Google is indeed attacking Microsoft, they are attacking the correct target. No one else competes with them on as many core areas to their business as MS.
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