CEO Steve Ballmer says the Redmond-based software and game console maker will catch Google in six months.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so the saying goes. And Microsoft has been known to imitate success in others to enjoy even greater success itself.
Mr. Ballmer told a gathering in Australia that Microsoft will catch up to search engine leader Google in terms of relevancy. “Well, if anyone thinks innovation is done in search, you’re wrong. Does anyone here really believe search is going to look like it does now in 10 years?” he asked.
Microsoft may be trying to go there today with a new beta concept on its MSN portal. Called Newsbot, Microsoft appears to be imitating the Google News page. Both sites use a computer algorithm to identify and rank news stories posted on a variety of sources.
The company sees search as having more importance with regards to the corporate environment. Microsoft has been working on a corporate desktop search product, which it plans to release in beta later this year. Ideally, Microsoft wants to be able to search applications for information without using the actual application itself.
“It’s important for people who search a corporate network,” Mr. Ballmer said. “We’ll use search to peer into a range of business applications which would allow multiple applications to be searched simultaneously.”
Mr. Ballmer cited Siebel’s CRM software as an example. “Now, I’ve never used that interface. But I’d love to go to it and say ‘Who is the account manager for the Commonwealth Bank of Australia?'” he said.
David Utter is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business. Email him here.
