- Compare the business models and core competencies of Google, Apple, and Facebook. Evaluate the mobile strategies of each firm.
Google is the widely used search engine. Google, apart from being just a search engine also build new products and it transforms and improves its existing products as well. Google also manages the massive and huge Information Technology infrastructure. Talking about the value proposition of Google, Google is the most famous search engine. Other than this, it has also launched its own operating system with the name of Android. Google has launched its own browser called as Google Chrome. Apart from all this, Google is also providing the services of advertising display. As far as its customer relationships are concerned, it focuses on automation. The segmentation of Google is very broad. Its users range from the just internet users to the developers and enterprise owners. Whereas, Apple which is the leading smart phone brand in the market, started with computers and then came in the field of software, iPods and iPhones. Talking about the business model of Apple, it develops hardware as well as software. Other than this, it is working on managing the legal relationships for the distribution of music. For its value proposition, Apple is relying on the sleek and smart designs and in case of iPods, the legal platform for the music. Talking about its customer relationships, Apple is providing its customers different apps to download from App store. These apps are paid as well as free. Apart from this, Apple is ensuring to provide its users with the legal music. The customer base of Apple is people who love gadgets and music.
The customers of Apple are loyal and prefer Apple over any product available in the market. Facebook, which is the most used social networking website, provides the platform for the development of software and other apps. It provides its users to share their thoughts with their friends, to discover different things of their interest. The users of Facebook are segmented as internet users, developers and marketers as well. Apple, Google and Facebook, all of them has used smart phones in order to increase its profits. The reason behind this is that people are now using smart phones extensively. Although Apple started its product with computers but the major share of market that it catered was due to the launch of iPhone. On the other hand, Google, after watching the trend in the market launched its own operating system in order to compete in the market and maximize its shares. Facebook, although did not launch its own operating system but it has launched an app for IOS as well as Android which is more convenient to use as compared to use it on simple browser. Other than this, Facebook has also launched a new concept in android phones in which users can update statuses from the home screen of their android phones. So it will not be wrong to say that smart phones have changed the way these big giants used to operate because a huge chunk of profits come from the users who use their Smart Phones extensively in their routine lives.
- Which company and business model do you think is most likely to dominate the Internet and why?
After studying the business models of Apple, Google and Facebook, it is not wrong to say that in the future, the internet will be dominated by Facebook. As it can be seen even now days, the user base of Facebook is increasing day by day. In no time, Facebook has become the most familiar name. The reason behind the success and its competitive advantage over Apple and Google is that it provides its services to the users free of cost whereas Apple is highly expensive brand. Most of the times, people do not buy the products of Apple because of its high prices. Talking about Google, it has no doubt huge success being the search engine, but people are not aware of its other products. The reason behind this unawareness of people is low advertisement of its products. Although Google has launched its tablet with the name Nexus, but as compared to other tablets and iPods, it has not attracted many customers. So in order to succeed and compete with Facebook, Google should consider the factor of advertising its new products.
- What is the significance of search to the success or failure of mobile computing? How have Apple and Facebook attempted to compete with Google? Will their strategies succeed?
Search factor is of vital importance when it comes to mobile computing. Users want to get the opinion of others and want to search their desired issues and topics. This is the reason that Google which started from a college emerged as one of the widely used website. And because of this reason, Facebook has launched the option of search in which a user can search its queries and the results are shown on the basis of likes on the post and recommendation of the friends. Whereas, Apple still needs to enter in this field. In order to compete with Google in this regard, it is necessary for Facebook and Apple to include this feature. Facebook has understood this need and launched its search technology. If Apple wants to retain its old customers as well as want to make new customers, it must get inspiration and modify its strategies as Google or Facebook did.
