Not being an 'Apple Zombie' nor a 'Google Apologist' I really don't have any strong emotion one way or the other on this issue... However, I do have to smile just a bit at the current state of affairs...
- Apple offered AdMob a 'reasonable' buyout offer (perhaps a little on the low end but that's how Apple works)
- Google makes an 11th hour 'over the top' buyout offer to prevent Apple from getting AdMob.
Apple quietly buys another company in the market and continues on with their plans... Google who by all accounts didn't really really **want** AdMob in as much as they simply didn't want Apple to have them is going on business as usual and AdMob is simply left twisting in the preverbal wind. Google clearly has to go thru with the buyout but part of me says they wouldn't be all that upset if the sale never got finalized. After all, the offer they made was by all reports WAY more than the company was worth.
I wonder how AdMobs leadership and interested financial partners feel about this unfortunate turn of events... To bastardize a great movie line from a bygone era...
Apple quietly buys another company in the market and continues on with their plans... Google who by all accounts didn't really really **want** AdMob in as much as they simply didn't want Apple to have them is going on business as usual and AdMob is simply left twisting in the preverbal wind. Google clearly has to go thru with the buyout but part of me says they wouldn't be all that upset if the sale never got finalized. After all, the offer they made was by all reports WAY more than the company was worth.
A good point. Google may be protesting too much about being thrown into the proverbial briar patch. If the FTC blocks the sale, AdMob still doesn't end up in Apple's hands, which was the objective of the acquisition in the first place.
I already switched. I switched from Google search to Bing and I don't see any real difference in the quality of the results. There are other options, as well.
I've been finding myself using different search engines for a while now as well, and like you, increasingly I can't find much difference in terms of the quality of the search results I get back. When Google first came along I switched from AltaVista because the results seemed so much better, but the others seem to have caught up.
The thing I still like about Google is how clean the search results look, but that seems to be getting watered down now, with things like twitter comments in the searches which makes things look cluttered.
I can't really see Google losing their search dominance however, since they are so ingrained in peoples routine (though I bet Excite thought that as well), but some of the other things they do I have never really understood. They seem to be in a lot of things that are interesting, but I don't understand how they are going to make money out of them, which when all is said and done, is kind of the point.
A good point. Google may be protesting too much about being thrown into the proverbial briar patch. If the FTC blocks the sale, AdMob still doesn't end up in Apple's hands, which was the objective of the acquisition in the first place.
Exactly!
And all but unprovable... Now can we attribute such foresight to Google? That I'll leave up to others to debate...
I wonder if this opens the door for Apple to buy them now. I realize Apple already bought an alternative but perhaps they'd still be interested if only to prevent someone else.
Wait... Google is being investigated for anti-competitiveness (is that a word?) for buying AdMob. Now you think Apple should buy it just so no one else can? Am I the only one who sees what's wrong with this statement?
The company didn't choose Google. Apple let it's option to buy period expire and Google offered more money afterwards.
Quote:
Originally Posted by replicant
Ain't gonna happen because Apple probably holds a grudge against them for choosing Google! But it would be a brilliant business move to acquire them only for their IP and market share. Steve can learn a thing or two from his pal Larry Ellison about M&A.
Google does not suck, just try a search like "How to contact Governor[your Gov's Name]" into google search, and you'll see that it's clearly the best. However, there are other search engines out there that are good, but are simply not being trained to get better because of the lack of users on the engine.
I use the Cuil (Like "Kewl") plugin for Safari, it aint too bad, but instead of the contact page for my governor, I just got a bunch of news about him. Had to go back to google (The plugin allows you to switch between engines).
Google is a very powerful monopoly "not that there's anything wrong with that"
And all but unprovable... Now can we attribute such foresight to Google? That I'll leave up to others to debate...
I'd assume they calculated a win either way, which is probably true unless...
Quote:
Originally Posted by AsianBob
Wait... Google is being investigated for anti-competitiveness (is that a word?) for buying AdMob. Now you think Apple should buy it just so no one else can? Am I the only one who sees what's wrong with this statement?
The big difference is that Google is already in the online advertising business in a kind of large way, and Apple is only just getting into it. Google trying to prevent Apple from entering into their market can certainly be seen as anticompetitive behavior. The last thing Google wants is a court finding that they have market power in online advertising. This just opens the floodgates wide to all sorts of lawsuits. So I'd expect them to give up on the AdMob buyout if the sledding gets at all rough with the regulators.
The big difference is that Google is already in the online advertising business in a kind of large way, and Apple is only just getting into it. Google trying to prevent Apple from entering into their market can certainly be seen as anticompetitive behavior. The last thing Google wants is a court finding that they have market power in online advertising. This just opens the floodgates wide to all sorts of lawsuits. So I'd expect them to give up on the AdMob buyout if the sledding gets at all rough with the regulators.
Good point. But you can make the argument that if Apple buys up a second company, just so no one else can get it, could also be treading on the anti-competitive line in a way. At the very least, it would be something to watch closely.
Good point. But you can make the argument that if Apple buys up a second company, just so no one else can get it, could also be treading on the anti-competitive line in a way. At the very least, it would be something to watch closely.
Maybe, but less likely. Google's big problem is their existing, dominant position in the online advertising market. Any move they make to forestall potential competitors from entering that market is going to look like monopoly maintenance. Apple, as a new entrant into the market, isn't going to have that problem. Still, I doubt they want AdMob at this point. They'd be happier with AdMob and Google in regulatory limbo for a couple of years.
and who are you? a google apologists only visiting apple boards because you are paid to? Seems some people will go to any length to defend unethical business practices and conflicts of interest..
Who am I? That is irrelevant and off-topic.
Please don't post personal stuff about forum users.
...source told the news agency that the commission's staff believe there is...
Staff believes there is... (because it is the commission's staff makes no difference).
Yeah, I know, it's plural (no, it's not). A member of a group believes, and a group believes, too.
OK. Google's not unraveling, but they're too big for me. They've got enough in this space.
I don't buy anything Adobe says or makes, either. They've all but destroyed the competition in the design realm, simply because they have a big wallet. They have wallets... Whatever.
What about Apple, you ask? They're different. They can take over the world for all I care. They've done a pretty good job of changing it, already.
I wonder if this opens the door for Apple to buy them now. I realize Apple already bought an alternative but perhaps they'd still be interested if only to prevent someone else.
they would probably be hit with the same charges.
I suspect that the trouble is that Google has their existing Adsense program which is pretty widespread (I believe AI has Adsense ads on the site). Buying Admob would put them way over the top in 'market share' for mobile ads. Quattro + Admob could do the same. Remember that it's not just the existence of a competitor that Google (or Apple) needs. It's a more or less equal one. If either does something that makes the spread more like 80/20 rather than 60/40 that blocks the smaller guys from having an equal shot.
Quote:
Originally Posted by iVlad
I would feel much more comfortable if Google didn't have a monopoly over advertisement and ad-words.
myself and a couple dozen folks I know would love it if Apple did a gig like Google has where you can make a little commission off hosting ads on your sites. in make it the new ad service via iweb etc. In part because Google's policies are a tad wacked. every one of us was cut with no information. Just kicked out. Even when we tried to ask them why they ignored us. And apparently this happens quite a lot.
Maybe, but less likely. Google's big problem is their existing, dominant position in the online advertising market. Any move they make to forestall potential competitors from entering that market is going to look like monopoly maintenance. Apple, as a new entrant into the market, isn't going to have that problem. Still, I doubt they want AdMob at this point. They'd be happier with AdMob and Google in regulatory limbo for a couple of years.
Ain't gonna happen because Apple probably holds a grudge against them for choosing Google! But it would be a brilliant business move to acquire them only for their IP and market share. Steve can learn a thing or two from his pal Larry Ellison about M&A.
Not much evidence for that.
Apple reportedly had a window (some say it was 3 months) of exclusivity to buy AdMob. When that window expired and Apple had no deal, Google stepped in and bought them immediately (at a possibly inflated price).
The media all assume that Apple was punked by Google, but It could be the other way around - Apple decided AdMob wasn't worth the price, so they bought Quattro instead.
Apple reportedly had a window (some say it was 3 months) of exclusivity to buy AdMob. When that window expired and Apple had no deal, Google stepped in and bought them immediately (at a possibly inflated price).
The media all assume that Apple was punked by Google, but It could be the other way around - Apple decided AdMob wasn't worth the price, so they bought Quattro instead.
Apple bought Quattro for 275 Million.
Google bought Admob for 750 Million.
I don't care how much better Admob is, it's not worth that kind of premium.
Comments
Now the FTC investigate google buying Admob?
Anyways whatever they say, Apple is pretty new to the advertising game. They can't exactly leverage the "iAd" as an excuse as being not a monopoly.
- Apple offered AdMob a 'reasonable' buyout offer (perhaps a little on the low end but that's how Apple works)
- Google makes an 11th hour 'over the top' buyout offer to prevent Apple from getting AdMob.
Apple quietly buys another company in the market and continues on with their plans... Google who by all accounts didn't really really **want** AdMob in as much as they simply didn't want Apple to have them is going on business as usual and AdMob is simply left twisting in the preverbal wind. Google clearly has to go thru with the buyout but part of me says they wouldn't be all that upset if the sale never got finalized. After all, the offer they made was by all reports WAY more than the company was worth.
I wonder how AdMobs leadership and interested financial partners feel about this unfortunate turn of events... To bastardize a great movie line from a bygone era...
"For lack of a better word, greed is 'not' good."
Apple quietly buys another company in the market and continues on with their plans... Google who by all accounts didn't really really **want** AdMob in as much as they simply didn't want Apple to have them is going on business as usual and AdMob is simply left twisting in the preverbal wind. Google clearly has to go thru with the buyout but part of me says they wouldn't be all that upset if the sale never got finalized. After all, the offer they made was by all reports WAY more than the company was worth.
A good point. Google may be protesting too much about being thrown into the proverbial briar patch. If the FTC blocks the sale, AdMob still doesn't end up in Apple's hands, which was the objective of the acquisition in the first place.
I already switched. I switched from Google search to Bing and I don't see any real difference in the quality of the results. There are other options, as well.
I've been finding myself using different search engines for a while now as well, and like you, increasingly I can't find much difference in terms of the quality of the search results I get back. When Google first came along I switched from AltaVista because the results seemed so much better, but the others seem to have caught up.
The thing I still like about Google is how clean the search results look, but that seems to be getting watered down now, with things like twitter comments in the searches which makes things look cluttered.
I can't really see Google losing their search dominance however, since they are so ingrained in peoples routine (though I bet Excite thought that as well), but some of the other things they do I have never really understood. They seem to be in a lot of things that are interesting, but I don't understand how they are going to make money out of them, which when all is said and done, is kind of the point.
A good point. Google may be protesting too much about being thrown into the proverbial briar patch. If the FTC blocks the sale, AdMob still doesn't end up in Apple's hands, which was the objective of the acquisition in the first place.
Exactly!
And all but unprovable... Now can we attribute such foresight to Google? That I'll leave up to others to debate...
I wonder if this opens the door for Apple to buy them now. I realize Apple already bought an alternative but perhaps they'd still be interested if only to prevent someone else.
Wait... Google is being investigated for anti-competitiveness (is that a word?) for buying AdMob. Now you think Apple should buy it just so no one else can? Am I the only one who sees what's wrong with this statement?
Ain't gonna happen because Apple probably holds a grudge against them for choosing Google! But it would be a brilliant business move to acquire them only for their IP and market share. Steve can learn a thing or two from his pal Larry Ellison about M&A.
Anyone that wants to bombard my 3.5" iPhone screen with more ads is no friend in my book
I use the Cuil (Like "Kewl") plugin for Safari, it aint too bad, but instead of the contact page for my governor, I just got a bunch of news about him. Had to go back to google (The plugin allows you to switch between engines).
Google is a very powerful monopoly "not that there's anything wrong with that"
When it's a natural one.
Exactly!
And all but unprovable... Now can we attribute such foresight to Google? That I'll leave up to others to debate...
I'd assume they calculated a win either way, which is probably true unless...
Wait... Google is being investigated for anti-competitiveness (is that a word?) for buying AdMob. Now you think Apple should buy it just so no one else can? Am I the only one who sees what's wrong with this statement?
The big difference is that Google is already in the online advertising business in a kind of large way, and Apple is only just getting into it. Google trying to prevent Apple from entering into their market can certainly be seen as anticompetitive behavior. The last thing Google wants is a court finding that they have market power in online advertising. This just opens the floodgates wide to all sorts of lawsuits. So I'd expect them to give up on the AdMob buyout if the sledding gets at all rough with the regulators.
The big difference is that Google is already in the online advertising business in a kind of large way, and Apple is only just getting into it. Google trying to prevent Apple from entering into their market can certainly be seen as anticompetitive behavior. The last thing Google wants is a court finding that they have market power in online advertising. This just opens the floodgates wide to all sorts of lawsuits. So I'd expect them to give up on the AdMob buyout if the sledding gets at all rough with the regulators.
Good point. But you can make the argument that if Apple buys up a second company, just so no one else can get it, could also be treading on the anti-competitive line in a way. At the very least, it would be something to watch closely.
i guess the "great evil" is an evolving beast
ibm
MS
Google
who else?
Adobe
Good point. But you can make the argument that if Apple buys up a second company, just so no one else can get it, could also be treading on the anti-competitive line in a way. At the very least, it would be something to watch closely.
Maybe, but less likely. Google's big problem is their existing, dominant position in the online advertising market. Any move they make to forestall potential competitors from entering that market is going to look like monopoly maintenance. Apple, as a new entrant into the market, isn't going to have that problem. Still, I doubt they want AdMob at this point. They'd be happier with AdMob and Google in regulatory limbo for a couple of years.
and who are you? a google apologists only visiting apple boards because you are paid to? Seems some people will go to any length to defend unethical business practices and conflicts of interest..
Who am I? That is irrelevant and off-topic.
Please don't post personal stuff about forum users.
...source told the news agency that the commission's staff believe there is...
Staff believes there is... (because it is the commission's staff makes no difference).
Yeah, I know, it's plural (no, it's not). A member of a group believes, and a group believes, too.
OK. Google's not unraveling, but they're too big for me. They've got enough in this space.
I don't buy anything Adobe says or makes, either. They've all but destroyed the competition in the design realm, simply because they have a big wallet. They have wallets... Whatever.
What about Apple, you ask? They're different. They can take over the world for all I care. They've done a pretty good job of changing it, already.
I wonder if this opens the door for Apple to buy them now. I realize Apple already bought an alternative but perhaps they'd still be interested if only to prevent someone else.
they would probably be hit with the same charges.
I suspect that the trouble is that Google has their existing Adsense program which is pretty widespread (I believe AI has Adsense ads on the site). Buying Admob would put them way over the top in 'market share' for mobile ads. Quattro + Admob could do the same. Remember that it's not just the existence of a competitor that Google (or Apple) needs. It's a more or less equal one. If either does something that makes the spread more like 80/20 rather than 60/40 that blocks the smaller guys from having an equal shot.
I would feel much more comfortable if Google didn't have a monopoly over advertisement and ad-words.
myself and a couple dozen folks I know would love it if Apple did a gig like Google has where you can make a little commission off hosting ads on your sites. in make it the new ad service via iweb etc. In part because Google's policies are a tad wacked. every one of us was cut with no information. Just kicked out. Even when we tried to ask them why they ignored us. And apparently this happens quite a lot.
Maybe, but less likely. Google's big problem is their existing, dominant position in the online advertising market. Any move they make to forestall potential competitors from entering that market is going to look like monopoly maintenance. Apple, as a new entrant into the market, isn't going to have that problem. Still, I doubt they want AdMob at this point. They'd be happier with AdMob and Google in regulatory limbo for a couple of years.
In the end, lawyers have to get fed too.
Ain't gonna happen because Apple probably holds a grudge against them for choosing Google! But it would be a brilliant business move to acquire them only for their IP and market share. Steve can learn a thing or two from his pal Larry Ellison about M&A.
Not much evidence for that.
Apple reportedly had a window (some say it was 3 months) of exclusivity to buy AdMob. When that window expired and Apple had no deal, Google stepped in and bought them immediately (at a possibly inflated price).
The media all assume that Apple was punked by Google, but It could be the other way around - Apple decided AdMob wasn't worth the price, so they bought Quattro instead.
Not much evidence for that.
Apple reportedly had a window (some say it was 3 months) of exclusivity to buy AdMob. When that window expired and Apple had no deal, Google stepped in and bought them immediately (at a possibly inflated price).
The media all assume that Apple was punked by Google, but It could be the other way around - Apple decided AdMob wasn't worth the price, so they bought Quattro instead.
Apple bought Quattro for 275 Million.
Google bought Admob for 750 Million.
I don't care how much better Admob is, it's not worth that kind of premium.
I'd say google got punked LOL.
Adobe
great point made