The sun always shines on (Google) TV
The Internet-enabled TV market is looking like one to watch for 2012 and Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt has wasted no time in laying down a marker for his company by insisting that most TVs will be equipped with Google functionality by next summer. The search engine giant has been diversifying beyond their initial remit for years now with mixed success (Schmidt has even talked of self-driving ‘Google Cars’), but this is their first concerted attempt to get out of peoples’ computers and into their homes. Progress has been slow so far, with many stores reporting that returns of the product have outnumbered sales, but Schmidt is confident it won’t take long for that to change.
“By the summer of 2012, the majority of the televisions you see in stores will have Google TV embedded in it,” he said on stage at the Le Web conference in Paris. Schmidt is so confident because Google TV would be a televisual incarnation of the already established Android platform, but some at the conference were less convinced. One dissenting voice suggested that Apple still holds a significant lead over Google, a comment that received a somewhat frosty reception from Schmidt. “What kind of lead?” he replied. “Android is ahead of the iPhone now – by unit volume, with ICS features, prices are lower, with more vendors, more pricepoints – do I need to continue the list? It’s free.” He also dismissed claims that Apple’s app line-up is superior: “Six months from now, you’ll say the opposite. Ultimately, application vendors are driven by volume. The volume is favoured by the open approach Google is taking. Whether you like ICS or not, you will want to develop for that platform, perhaps even first.”
Schmidt’s bullishness is understandable – although some could perceive it as misguided. As it’s built on the latest version of Android, Google TV will not only give it clear brand awareness, it will also allow developers to build apps for it as they do on phones and tablets, giving it a clear advantage over the competition. However, the smartphone market was comparatively new ground when Android was launched. The TV market has been around so long, and there are so many big players already involved, that Google is likely to face a tougher battle than Schmidt seems ready to acknowledge. On top of all that, there’s also Apple’s iTV, which is looking set to launch next year too.
Whatever does happen with Internet TV in 2012, one thing looks certain: the battle that’s raged between Apple and Google on our desktops and in the palm of our hands is now ready to move into our living rooms…
Facebook goes wild for Gowalla
Facebook this week confirmed the acquisition of location service Gowalla, though it revealed that it currently has no plans to use the company’s services on their site. Instead, the social network announced on Monday that it will simply absorb the Gowalla management team into its own structure. “While Facebook isn’t acquiring the Gowalla service or technology, we’re sure that the inspiration behind Gowalla will make its way into Facebook over time,” reads a statement issued by Facebook. Gowalla services will no longer exist and data on the site won’t be transferred to Facebook, but CEO Josh Williams added in a blog post: “About two months ago, my co-founder Scott [Raymonds] and I attended F8. We were blown away by Facebook’s new developments. A few weeks later Facebook called, and it became clear that the way for our team to have the biggest impact was to work together.” Gowalla has just two million users compared to Foursquare’s 10 million, so it’s unlikely the acquisition is designed to help Facebook seriously challenge the wildly popular location service. However, it does indicate that they’re looking to expand their location offering and that Facebook Places may be in a position to challenge Foursquare in the future.
Facebook’s Subscribe button expands
Unlike much of its functionality, the new Facebook Subscribe button has only been available on the site itself since its launch in September, but now all that’s about to change. Joanna Shields, Facebook VP and managing director of the company in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, revealed at Le Web in Paris that the button will be turned into a plug-in so it can be added directly onto external websites: “We will soon launch the Subscribe plugin, an extension of the Subscribe button, that publishers and other developers can add to their websites to make it easy for people to connect to reporters and public figures in one click.” There is no set launch date on the plug-in yet, but it could be a big move in the social sphere when it is rolled out. With this announcement, Facebook is making the subscribe functionality an almost direct copy of Twitter’s follow feature, and it’ll be interesting to see how the micro-blogging site responds to Facebook’s latest improvement. Like Apple v Google, this looks like a battle that’s going to run and run…
And finally…
The Fast Web Media camera has been out and about round MediaCity this week, taking snaps of the new complex and the surrounding area. You can see all the pictures on our Flickr page, but a few of our favourites are below…
Comments