Is Google Worried?

The news of Bing's big launch, followed by some encouraging traffic/search volume figures (from a Microsoft perspective), some barbed comments from Google, the casual announcement of a new operating system (for Netbooks?!?) And then the story that Microsoft had replaced Google as the UK's most trusted brand has left many wondering could there be some connection with all these coincidences?

Hmmm let us consider the facts Watson...

Are Google Rattled?

It seems so. What about the Ten Commandments? And in particular no. 2 'It's best to do one thing really, really well'. The Chrome browser is nice enough but is it significantly better than Firefox? Even with Google's promotion it's still little used according to our analysis of visitors to our client sites and, if anything, seems to be losing ground to Firefox. How will it catch up IE?

So to build an operating system on the back of a not very popular browser when the basis of an operating system is to get software writers to develop software for it seems a little puzzling. Why build an operating system just for Netbooks. I see the logic of a Netbook, in fact my daughter's just a one, but when you can buy a full size laptop with Vista for the price of a Netbook with XP leaves many puzzled like this guy here. If Netbooks are a passing fad, is Google right to develop a new operating system purely for them?

Is Google Right to be worried about Bing?

Microsoft has got fairly hefty resources to throw behind Bing and there are a lot of good things about its new search engine. Bing has gained some share from Google, as well as the other engines but just like can Chrome catch Internet Explorer, can Bing catch Google? Given the scale of its dominance I think it unlikely but Google must be worried about Microsoft's ability to sell its search engine to its vast user base of Windows customers and if they were to team up with Yahoo?

 Is Google suffering from its dominance?

Has Google developed a Goliath syndrome? Tiny start up Microsoft was David to the mighty IBM Goliath when it outflanked them with MS-Dos. Then, the people's favourite 'Don't be evil', garage start up, Google conquered the now mighty Microsoft and Yahoo in search.

So now is it Google's turn for its comeuppance? And is Microsoft really a role model 'David?