Are Google’s Days Numbered?
I know that there are a lot of people that would scoff at this idea, but when you think about it almost everyone’s position at the top is guaranteed only as long as someone doesn’t come up with something that does it better or more cheaply.
In regards to this post I am targeting Google’s position at being the number one search engine for providing information and it has nothing to do with it’s potential for earning people money. Let’s face it, the average person who uses Google, Yahoo or any other search engine, does so for the sole purpose of finding information. The problem with these types of engines is that you are presented with so much information that it can take you ages to find exactly what you are looking for.
I’ve come across a rather unique site called WolframAlpha that gives you exactly the information you are looking for. There is a knack though on how you phrase your search terms but the site provides you examples on how to go about it.
I took it for a little test drive and I was quite impressed. I typed ‘tallest building’ in Google and got 2,380,000 resutls, and then I used the exact same term in WolframAlpha and got the following table.
Result by height:
1 | Burj Dubai | 818 m | 2 | CN Tower | 553 m | 3 | Ostankino Tower | 540 m | 4 | Taipei 101 | 509 m | 5 | Shanghai World Financial Center | 492 m |
Result by floors:
1 | Burj Dubai | 162 | 2 | International Commerce Centre | 118 | 3 | Two World Trade Center | 110 | 4 | One World Trade Center | 110 | 5 | Sears Tower | 108 |
I then tried populous city: Google, 2,970,000 results. WolframAlpha;
Result by city population:
1 | Beijing,China | 14.93 million people | 2 | Shanghai,China | 14.61 million people | 3 | Bombay,Maharashtra,India | 12.69 million people | 4 | Karachi,Sind,Pakistan | 11.62 million people | 5 | Delhi,India | 10.93 million people |
Result by metro area population:
1 | Tokyo,Japan | 37.2 million people | 2 | Mexico City,Distrito Federal,Mexico | 22.97 million people | 3 | Seoul,Soul-t'vkpyolsi,South Korea | 22.25 million people | 4 | Bombay,Maharashtra,India | 20.87 million people | 5 | Sao Paulo,Brazil | 20.22 million people |
Wolfram Alpha Released
Basic information:
date | 15/05/2009 cities involved | Champaign,Illinois,United States countries involved | United States of America people involved | Stephen Wolfram
Tagged with: Search • Search engine • Wolfram|Alpha
Filed under: General • opinion
Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!
I think this one is a detailed computational knowledge search engine. I am just wondering who’s database is feeding them.
Ron´s Last blog post..Cavite Sulitizens Group
[Reply]
Yep, and the database is their own. Even though it has only been released they have been working on it for a long time.
[Reply]
The night that they launched WolframAlfa I did go and play around with it. Wish they had this when I was in school, might have got a bit better grades.
It has some great uses but, it nothing like Google so, the Big G will still be the ruler of search for a while.
I do have hopes for Yahoo making a dent. They hired some new people so, they are bound to make improvements.
I also think Yahoo has the only name recognition even close to Google. Without the name, the common searcher will never find it to use it.
[Reply]
Sire Reply:
May 19th, 2009 at 11:52 pm
It’s early days yet, and considering it’s only just launched I reckon it’s doing pretty well. Sure it’s nothing like Google, but then I don’t think it is trying to be. The big thing is that once people get to know it exists it will take a portion of market share away from Google forcing the Big G to do something about it.
[Reply]
Ron from Cavitenio Reply:
May 20th, 2009 at 12:35 am
About this statement:
“once people get to know it exists it will take a portion of market share away from Google forcing the Big G to do something about it.”
I think Big G’s move will be:
Buy WolframALpha
LOL
Ron´s Last blog post..Cavite Sulitizens Group
[Reply]
Sire Reply:
May 20th, 2009 at 12:50 am
[Reply]
Ron from Cavitenio Reply:
May 20th, 2009 at 1:02 am
Hehe, nowadays, Big G always rely to their most effective competition killer: Its BUYING.
After youtube
After twitter
What’s next? Maybe WolframAlpha, if they can break some nerves out of the G.
Ron´s Last blog post..Cavite Sulitizens Group
[Reply]
I think that people who do not want to learn the specific ways to type in searches will stick with Google, but the more techie savvy people might go for this to get more specific, accurate results.
~ Kristi
Kikolani´s Last blog post..25 Social Bookmarking & Link Sharing Browser Bookmarklets
[Reply]
Ron from Cavitenio Reply:
May 19th, 2009 at 8:15 pm
Agreed.Wolfram Alpha is also beneficial for research studies for students and alike.
Ron´s Last blog post..Cavite Sulitizens Group
[Reply]
Sire Reply:
May 19th, 2009 at 11:54 pm
Hiya Kristi, It’s all just a learning curve and once people get the hang of things they may well make a switch for researching certain topics.
[Reply]
Kikolani from Art of Blogging Reply:
May 29th, 2009 at 7:14 pm
I have to admit, I went and played around more with it, and find it quite interesting. I now know I am 1,238 days older than my hubby, for example. :)
Kikolani´s Last blog post..Fetching Friday – Resources, #FollowFriday, PageRank & SEO
[Reply]
Sire Reply:
May 30th, 2009 at 6:49 pm
There you go, and imagine how much fun you can have with that bit of information when your having a get together with all your friends ;)
[Reply]
I do agree that the results are impressive but I do not think they will even mke a dent in the Google search market share. In order to do that they would need an unli mited marketing budget to go along with their technology. If the technology is that superior then chances are that Google will buy them or they will be a target for Yahoo or MS.
Dan´s Last blog post..Track blog comments using backtype
[Reply]
Sire Reply:
May 20th, 2009 at 12:00 am
Hey Dan, welcome to WassupBlog, and thanks for taking the time to comment. I agree that they may not make a dent right off, but once they refine things, remember they have only recently launched, and people get to see the advantage and time saving of getting exactly what they need for a particular search term, without having to wade through thousands of unrelated sites, I’m sure they will come to appreciate it a whole lot more.
[Reply]
I have to say, Sire, that I was less than impressed when I tested it some days ago. I had some specific questions, and it not only couldn’t find them, but it kept giving me error messages. I mean, at least Google will give you something even if it’s not quite what you were looking for.
Having said that, I think Google is here for at least another 10 years, and what will bring them down won’t be its search capabilities, but kind of a rebelling and rejection of the kind of power they start to exhibit. It’s already starting to show that it can eliminate people and websites from its algorithms, which is scary enough. Do it enough, and to the wrong people,…
Mitch´s Last blog post..Technorati Rank Worse, RSS Subscribers Stagnant
[Reply]
Sire Reply:
May 20th, 2009 at 6:06 pm
10 years Mitch? I didn’t know you had a crystal ball mate.
[Reply]
Interesting site. Don’t think Google is going anywhere though. Yes, new and improved ideas can change that like Facebook edging out Myspace, but Google is becoming an octopus of sorts. Spreading its arms in many areas. With their control of Internet ads, they’re in great shape. It will take something spectacular to make a dent.
Gennaro´s Last blog post..Memorial Day Weekend: Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier
[Reply]
Sire Reply:
May 20th, 2009 at 6:30 pm
Yeah, I know you are probably right, but when you consider that all it takes is a small crack in a huge rock that a small root can get into and over time that rock splits and falls apart. There are a lot of small roots out there inching into Googles cracks.
[Reply]
Did anyone read this today? Google falling behind Twitter! Maybe the big G will fall someday, but i really don’t see it happening!
Google Falling Behind Twitter
Jake´s Last blog post..Not making money online? It might be your niche!
[Reply]
Sire Reply:
May 20th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
Thanks for that link Jake, it seems that Ron was wrong about Google having bought Google, although that may be on the cards. It also seems that the Big G can feel pain from it’s competitors.
[Reply]
Ron from Cavitenio Reply:
May 21st, 2009 at 1:00 am
Sire,what do you mean “wrong about Google buying Google?”?
OT: Received my email?
Ron´s Last blog post..Cavite Sulitizens Group
[Reply]
Sire Reply:
May 22nd, 2009 at 8:11 am
Because, according to this article, Google has not bought Twitter and does not need to.
[Reply]
Ron from Cavitenio Reply:
May 22nd, 2009 at 7:30 pm
Oh I see, thanks for the link. Just read it today. :)
[Reply]
To answer the question of your title: no. That search engine for one is lacking, to put it lightly, except for very specific searches. And even Twitter’s real-time dominance does not seem like a huge threat, given that Google can buy Twitter or evolve. But empires do end.
[Reply]
Sure, but you have to remember Neostead that WolframAlpha is in it’s early stages. It’s data base is still growing and I am sure that it is taking all the criticism on board. Although Google may be able to buy Twitter, perhaps Twitter does not want to be bought out.
[Reply]
Competition is a great thing, especially in advertising. Qassia is going to give us a choice of whether we want Google Adsense or another source of ads.
peter petterson´s Last blog post..Lighting takes centre stage at "greener" world at Lightfair International…
[Reply]
Sire Reply:
May 22nd, 2009 at 8:12 am
I haven’t been on Quassia for ages. Somehow it lost its appeal. Must go back and have another look.
[Reply]
peter petterson Reply:
May 24th, 2009 at 10:34 pm
Iam using it as repository of many old posts and new stories.
[Reply]
Sire Reply:
May 24th, 2009 at 11:54 pm
I don’t really have a need for that. Is it making you any money?
[Reply]
Google is not going to be affected by this by any means. Just ask yourself will you use Goolge or WolframALpha and you might have found the answer
bishwajeet´s Last blog post..Free Microsoft Office 2010 Technical Preview
[Reply]
Sire Reply:
May 22nd, 2009 at 8:13 am
I may use either depending on the type of search, and that should be a worrying factor.
[Reply]
At least it is fast to tell you that it has no answer for you ;) I do however think that it’ll be a while before it is able to compete with even MSN :)
Mikael´s Last blog post..Why Are You Having Problems Making Money Online?
[Reply]
Sire Reply:
May 22nd, 2009 at 6:43 pm
True, and the amount of time it takes depends on how the site develops. I think we have some interesting times ahead of us.
[Reply]
Interesting site isn’t it! I’ve used it for mathmatics problems on the fly when I don’t have my trusty calculator available or am too lazy to use the free calculator on the computer. I like the site, but don’t see it as a Google killer, probably an acquision target though!
The Almost Millionaire´s Last blog post..Afraid to Start a Business?
[Reply]
Sire Reply:
May 26th, 2009 at 11:07 pm
Maybe not a killer, but perhaps it will break a leg or too and hobble Goog’s for a little while.
[Reply]
I think its ok as a niche search engine for maths / science people. However you can do most of that kind of stuff in google if you know advanced queries.
I think for most people it won’t be any better for them.
Chris´s Last blog post..Exploring the earning power of a niche site
[Reply]
Sire Reply:
May 26th, 2009 at 11:21 pm
I agree with you that at the moment it may be a little limited,but I have this feeling that all that will change.
[Reply]
I have checked wolfra. Its very good…
Nihar´s Last blog post..How to Block Visitors from specific IP using .htaccess hack
[Reply]
Sire Reply:
May 26th, 2009 at 11:16 pm
Thanks Nihar, I thought so too.
[Reply]
i really don’t think that google’s days are numbered because in this case, it’s the days of 70 per cent of internet business that are numbered
veyron´s Last blog post..Let’s Know About : Lamborghini Reventon
[Reply]
Sire Reply:
May 26th, 2009 at 11:44 pm
Yep, and I think that no-one in this world is invincible, no matter how big you are. Who ever thought that GM would be in the trouble they are in today? As for Google, only time will tell what the future holds for them.
[Reply]
WOW, that’s really cool. I’ve never heard of this search engine until i came here. After reading your post, i went to the website and gave it a go. the example page of that SE is also detailed.
I loved how it represented the results. it is quite different from other search engines.
But what if i want to see a webpage? this SE doesnt show any LINKS. and it is a little slow.
Anyway, i loved it and i have replaced my homepage from google to wolframalpha.
irtiza104´s Last blog post..Never Say “Never”, Dude!
[Reply]
Sire Reply:
May 28th, 2009 at 12:05 am
Well, I don’t know that I would go that far irtiza, but whatever makes you happy is fine with me.
[Reply]
irtiza104 Reply:
May 29th, 2009 at 4:08 pm
nope! i’ve changed it back to google.
irtiza104´s Last blog post..Cyclone Aila: Bangladesh Takes Another Blow
[Reply]
That is the difference between you and I. I blog for content, you blog for money.
[Reply]
Sire Reply:
May 28th, 2009 at 12:04 am
Sorry Peter, are you referring to me? I also blog for content, perhaps not the same content you dish out, but content nonetheless. If I happen to make some money on the side, well that’s just gravy my friend and I would be a fool to knock it back.
[Reply]
Mikael from Retire Early Reply:
May 28th, 2009 at 1:07 am
And if you ask me both are just fine. Just like some people eat for fun and some eat to stay healthy. ;)
Mikael´s Last blog post..Google Keyword Competition: How to Do Competitive Keywords Analysis
[Reply]
Sire Reply:
May 28th, 2009 at 1:57 am
Now there is an analogy if I’ve ever heard one. So, while those eating for fun are enjoying themselves, and those eating to stay healthy may live longer, one must wonder which is the better choice?
[Reply]
Mikael from Retire Early Reply:
May 28th, 2009 at 2:00 am
Well yes… Just like those writing for fun will enjoy themselves where as those writing for profits will become richer.
The perfect combination (if you ask me) is to do both.
Mikael´s Last blog post..Google Keyword Competition: How to Do Competitive Keywords Analysis
[Reply]
Sire Reply:
May 28th, 2009 at 2:15 am
Yep, so all we have to do is find the perfect combination of doing both. May be a little difficult in the food analogy, but where blogging is concerned I can’t see why one can not lead to the other.
[Reply]
I think Wolfrum will get a lot better – it is Alpha after all. And I think it will be integrated with google.
Kim Woodbridge´s Last blog post..WordPress 2.8: Upcoming Features and Enhancements
[Reply]
Sire Reply:
May 29th, 2009 at 2:39 am
Finally, someone who agrees with me, and a sheila too!
[Reply]
I don’t think we’ll get rid of google any time soon (which is a shame considering their disregart for privacy). Too many suposedly “revolutionary” Search Engines failed to take any part of market from google for me to belive that they’ll have any problems soon.
Stancje´s Last blog post..Wrocław 31.05.2009: Mam do wynajęcia
[Reply]
That is so true Stance, but there is always a first time.
[Reply]
Thanks for the interesting link. I was not aware of Wolfram. I don’t know if I would say Google’s days are numbered. They have built up a strong empire with a lot of smart people and good ideas. This will keep them on top for a long time. It would be tough for a new competitor to really challenge Google. It may be up to MSN or Yahoo to uncharacteristically come up with some new and exciting.
[Reply]