Bamboozle Update 2

Google continues its bamboozle campaign against Microsoft. As we discussed in Google Bamboozles Microsoft, Google uses a diversionary attack strength defense against Microsoft's search capability by attacking Microsoft Office. They do this by creating just enough of a potential threat to affect Microsoft's plans without much real Google investment.

The bamboozle continued today, when Google launched a new product called Google Docs & Spreadsheets. This is the old Writely word processor acquired from Upstartle combined with the old Google Spreadsheets. They both lose their separate identities. So what exactly is new? The awkward name is about it.

The other parts of what could become a Google Office suite are trapped in the equally artlessly named Google Apps For Your Domain, as discussed in Bamboozle Update 1. "Will they ever come together?" the analysts ask breathlessly, and Ray Ozzie scratches his head and wonders, "Do I take this threat seriously?"

Meanwhile the Googlers smile primly and deny that this is in any way a precursor to Google Office. It is different, say the Googlers. The wonderful thing is that their denials only make the analysts more breathless and Ray Ozzie's scalp more itchy.

Copyright © 2006 Philip Bookman

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