ANALYSIS TECH WARS


of end users that identified with its brand and products. This was not lost on Microsoft, which immediately sought the input of this user-base in the beta phase of Windows 7, a move that


new deal, backed by Icahn, would have broken up the firm, with Microsoft taking the search engine and Icahn taking the rest and dismissing Yahoo’s upper management. The second deal fell through, but with


again as AMD gets ready to release its Fusion range and Intel continues the development


of its Sandy Bridge processors, since both devices feature integrated graphical processing.


Mac vs PC, 2006 Apple’s ‘Get a Mac’ ad campaign was very precisely timed. Coinciding with the build up to the release of Windows 7, it cunningly targeted many of those PC users who had been less than impressed with Windows Vista and its message was simple: if you’re thinking of going through the hassle of moving all your files to a Windows 7 machine, move them to a Mac instead. The emphasis behind the campaign


lay in its opening dialogue: “I’m a Mac” and “I’m a PC”, something that would be familiar to long-term Apple fans, specifically that the Mac is distinct from the IBM PC and its derivatives. However, unlike IBM, Microsoft was quick to follow up with a response that cited the lower cost of a PC and its sheer diversity of use. The result was the polarisation of the


marketplace, with internet message boards being lit up by heated exchanges between ‘Macs’ and ‘PCs’. Interestingly, it resulted in the first time that a company other than Apple had an army


opposition with a combination of an iconic branded front page and simple but effective search listings. Once a strong contender in the


search category, Yahoo had seen its market share dwindle and Microsoft, which had made a number of acquisition attempts in order to gain traction for its own search offering, MSN, now cast its eyes over its cash- strapped but better performing rival. The initial bid was for over $44 billion at $33 a share, but Yahoo founder Jerry Yang was less than impressed and pushed for more money, threatening a partnership with Google. A second bid followed around a year


later, and this time venture capitalist Carl Icahn had obtained a seat on Yahoo’s board of directors after buying an estimated 50 million shares. This


www.pcr-online.biz


developed Bing search engine, with Yahoo acting as the advertising sales team for both companies.


has been hailed as a watershed in consumer interaction and marketing.


Google vs Microsoft vs Yahoo, 2007


Despite being a relative latecomer, by 2007 Google had risen to become the unequivocal leader in internet search in early 2008, having beaten down the


much stronger consequences for Yahoo. Its share price dropped dramatically and a few months later Jerry Yang was forced to issue a public invitation for Microsoft to buy out Yahoo. In a strange twist of events, Steve Ballmer declined, stating: “We made an offer, we made another offer and it was clear that Yahoo didn’t want to sell the business to us and we moved on. We are not interested in going back and re- looking at an acquisition. I don’t know why they would be either, frankly. They turned us down at $33 a share.” Just over a year later, Microsoft and


Yahoo announced a ‘partnership’ that would see Yahoo’s search functions taken over by Microsoft’s newly


the marketing clout of Blu-ray’s creator, Sony. The turning point in this saga was the introduction of the Playstation 3 in 2006. Equipped with a pre-installed Blu- ray disc player, the popularity of the PS3 meant that despite taking a big hit in terms of lost sales, over time it became apparent that there was now a huge market for Blu-ray content. Meanwhile, the low uptake for HD


DVD recorders meant that prices had fallen. For example, one device saw its price cut from $936 to $100 in the space of a year. However, the final blow for HD DVD came in January 2008, when Warner Bros announced that it would stop issuing movies in the format. Similar announcements from various companies followed and by March the HD DVD Promotion Group had been dissolved.


Firefox vs Internet Explorer, 2008 “And so at last the beast fell and the unbelievers rejoiced. But all was not lost, for from the ash rose a great bird. The bird gazed down upon the unbelievers and cast fire and thunder upon them. For the beast had been reborn with its strength renewed, and the followers of Mammon cowered in horror.”


The hidden Book of Mozilla,


HD DVD vs Blu-ray, 2008 The rivalry between the two formats for high definition video storage had been quietly escalating for several years and sides had already been picked. Microsoft and Intel were backing HD DVD, while companies like HP and LG wavered between the two and eventually decided to sit on the fence by creating devices that were compatible with both formats. At the time, many people pointed to


the better visual quality of the HD DVD as an example of its superior strength as a product but they had counted against


January PCR 27


gives an apocryphal account of the rise of Firefox, much to the chagrin of Microsoft (Mammon).


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