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Rory Cellan-Jones

Google, Microsoft and calls of 'web bully'

  • Rory Cellan-Jones
  • 17 Mar 09, 12:07 GMT

Is Google bad for the web? A question which would have been unthinkable a year or so back. But, in some people's views, the search giant is heading down the path from cheeky and popular internet upstart to over-bearing bully.


For those who advance this case, the charge sheet is getting longer by the day - Google is not only too dominant in both search and online advertising, it is moving into all sorts of other areas too. Last week alone, three announcements stirred the wrath of critics who seem to be growing in confidence.

YouTube screenFirst, there was the row with the PRS over the licensing of songs for YouTube, with Google raising the stakes by blocking access to all professional music videos on YouTube.

Sure, there were many who thought the songwriters were in the wrong, trying to extract a hefty fee rather than just seeing YouTube as a useful platform. But there was also a vocal(?!) group who saw this as the latest example of bullying by a giant firm eager to profit from other people's content without paying them a fair share.

Then there was the plan to introduce behavioural advertising to Google - or rather what the firm described as an "interest-based advertising beta". The scheme to give users adverts that reflected their interests, based on data Google collects about our web habits, caused plenty of disquiet amongst privacy campaigners. EU regulators, who've already been asking questions about Google's data retention policy, may take a close look at this scheme.

Finally, there was the announcement about Google Voice, which sounds like a useful service giving you one central phone number, and translating voicemail messages into text. But that could wipe out a number of promising start-ups - and is seen by critics as more evidence that Google is just getting too powerful, and hence is now damaging the web and web users.

Among those pressing this case most vigorously is an organisation called ICOMP. I called them yesterday while researching a story about the long legal battle between Google and the luxury goods firm LVMH over the auctioning of terms like "Louis Vuitton" for advertising purposes. David Wood, a Brussels-based lawyer who speaks for ICOMP, told me:

"The concern is that as Google's market power grows, brand owners will have nobody else to deal with. It will also install bad practices in the market - so anybody else coming in will find it difficult to compete against the market leader and its bad practices."

But no sooner had I got off the phone to Mr Wood than a call came in from someone who had some interesting information about ICOMP and who described it as "a Microsoft front". The lobby group's website says it was founded by a number of firms who "have come together to express a shared commitment to a Transparent and Competitive Internet that is responsive to consumer interests and law-abiding".

The site isn't exactly transparent about ICOMP's funding, though it does list Microsoft as a member. But when I got back to Mr Wood, he confirmed that the organisation was "largely" funded by the software giant - Google's biggest rival.

That doesn't mean that the regulators will ignore the ever-louder grumbles about Google from web rivals and privacy campaigners, but there's a delicious irony in the charge being led by Microsoft, the company which has itself been in the sights of EU competition officials for at least a decade.

Google's millions of users probably aren't too worried by any of this - after all, they are getting more and more from the business for nothing more than their willingness to see some advertising. Then again, Windows users had precious few complaints about the power of Microsoft - but the regulators took the view that it was in everyone's long-term interest to clip the wings of Bill Gates' business.

Will history repeat itself?

Maggie Shiels

iPhone wish list and tablet talk

  • Maggie Shiels
  • 17 Mar 09, 08:22 GMT

Later today (Tuesday) Apple will hold a press conference to unveil its upcoming iPhone 3.0 operating system and a new SDK ,or software developer kit, for the phone that is aimed at helping engineers and third parties write applications for the device.

Image from iPhone 3 inviteNaturally enough, speculation on the blogosphere is rife about what will be on offer. Apple notoriously stays mum on what will be coming out but here is a selection of what some people are taking guesses on what might be included and what they would like to see.

Kevin Rose, the founder of Digg, says he expects a cut and copy and paste function. A feature that has arguably been one of the most requested.

Macworld is looking for quite a few improvements to the iPhone so I will just note a couple of them. The blog wants a new improved mail programme with a single unified inbox. Great for those with more than one e-mail account. It also wants to be able to synch notes and to-do applications and would like to see better app organisation.

iPhoneThe site says back in the day "when the iPhone had only 20 apps - all from Apple - its one-panel home screen was a simple and easy-to-use way to launch those apps." No more of course because there are more than 15,000 to choose from and most people have a host of apps that end up running over several pages.

Macworld suggests being able to group apps into useful categories like games on one screen, productivity apps on another and so on. Another way would be to manage apps from within iTunes.

Engadget.com says it thinks a copy and paste function is "weak" and is calling on readers to vote for what should come in the update.

The list includes proper Bluetooth support, video recording, Flash, or "ridiculous proprietary headphones." A jibe obviously at the fact that the headphones that come with the new iPod shuffle have a proprietary control chip that wannabe headphone makers would have to pay to use so their product will work with the shuffle.

CNET thinks the announcement will include being able to tether the iPhone 3G so it can be used as a wireless modem for a laptop even though it hasn't had a rush of readers asking for it.

It lists a series of capabilities that many other smartphones and cell phones have that the iPhone lacks and should include like video recording, more camera options, voice dialing, speed dialing, text forwarding, and multi media messaging.

It almost makes you wonder why the iPhone is such a megastar in the smartphone category without all this built in.

PCWorld.com thinks "push notification" is on the cards. That's where apps get information from Apple servers even when they are not running. It is also looking for a horizontal keyboard as a standard function rather than users having to pay for it via an application from the AppStore.

While the invitation I got only refers to giving us a "sneak peak" at the new software and the SDK, it's unlikely there will be any mention of new hardware. However using my finely honed Sherlock Holmes skills, I would deduce that if Apple provides a date for the new OS then it's an obvious leap to make that a new iPhone would follow shortly thereafter. The big betting is on June or July.

As always there is plenty of hype and speculation around the Tuesday press announcement and a flurry of gossip that Apple will also talk about a 10-inch tablet computer.

Seth Weintraub of Computerworld is not alone in raising the flag on this one, but perhaps he goes a bit further than most. He notes that Apple is "developing a touchscreen in the 9.5-10 inch area for release in Q3."

His reasoning is that while Apple won't compete directly with the Netbook market, it will try to release a similar type product. Mr Weintraub says if Apple is aiming for a summer release it needs to start talking about such a device now so that developers can get to work to make their apps function on this smaller device.

MG Siegler at VentureBeat is of the same mind on this and writes "given that this is an "advance preview" of the new OS, it seems Apple wants to give developers some time to prepare for some big changes."

As always with Apple product announcements, lots of unanswered questions ahead of the launch. Take thanks in knowing that this time tomorrow the fuss will all be over.

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