Microsoft, Google,
Apple, Facebook and Amazon are the major technology players in today's society.
When it comes to technology, the internet and social connectivity they are the
pioneers of the future. The biggest key to these companies success so far is
their ability to expand their businesses and brands to services and devices
beyond what they are typically known for.
Microsoft has
transformed their brand from being synonymous with software to being synonymous
with every aspect of technology. Their biggest foray into the future of
technology from a hardware point of view was when the original Xbox was
launched in 2001. 14 years later Microsoft is still head to head with Sony PlayStation in
the video gaming industry. They continue to innovate by buying Nokia, Skype and
other companies to bolster their hold on their market share.
Google as a company
isn't even 20 years old yet but has eclipsed many companies that have been
around longer than they have. Google has done this by fostering the ingenuity
and raw talent of their employees and engineers. They have a reputation for
taking chances on new technologies and services. So far their tenacity and
aggressiveness has paid off and they are a force to be reckoned with in the
technology sector in all aspects.
Apple's contribution
to technology and how electronics are viewed is unmistakable no matter how much
you might hate or despise how Apple maintains a vice grip like hold on their
ecosystem. They singlehandedly showed the entire pc industry that computers could
be beautiful and even be viewed as art. We could hazard to say that without
Apple, Microsoft might not have been pushed to make better software, Intel
might not have pushed the boundaries of CPU technology as hard as they did. The
late 90's and early 2000's was a P.C. arms race where Apple was always a target
of technology companies of the time.
With the passing of
Steve Jobs, Apple is in the midst of reinventing itself under the leadership of
Tim Cook. Their aggressive stance has been softened during this transition but
they are still a company that will always be at the forefront of technology.
Microsoft is going through a similar transition with Satya Nadella succeeding
Steve Ballmer as CEO of Microsoft but it is still early days in that
transition.
Amazons claim to
fame was online shopping. Established just two years before Google they have
slowly gained momentum in the technology space with the Amazon Kindle devices
and cloud services. Make no mistake, Amazon, under the leadership of Jeff Bezos
is here to stay and continues to challenge the status quo of the online
shopping experience and how consumers consume not just technology but the
internet as well.
Facebook, the new
kid on the block, claim to fame is the ingrained need that most humans have to
communicate and interact with each other. Add the internet to this need and we
have Facebook. The company started in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg under a cloud of
controversy in regards to whose idea it was to create a social networking site
that still remains to this day. Facebook has yet to foray into the hardware
side of the technology pie but it is early days still for them. Their online
business has continued to grow and prosper and maybe they will never have the
need to get into the hardware aspect of technology.
The digitalrevolution has borne fruit to these companies and others that haven't had as
much influence on society as these five over the last 30 years. The future of
technology is the increased blurring of the lines between the internet,
hardware and software. All of these companies except for Facebook have one
thing in common, the fact that they started in one sector and have successfully
entered into another sector of technology increasing their market share and
dominance in their primary market.
The digital age has
given these companies the capability to grow and transform into these mega
companies that continue to snatch up smaller companies that might pose a threat
to them in the future. It slightly reminds me of the Bell System breakup based on monopolization of the telecommunications system at
the time. Just from the monopoly point of view it can be visualized that any of
the companies mentioned above could attain influence and capital to monopolize
their business segment.
Imagine the
possibility of a Microsoft/Google merger or an Apple/Facebook merger in the
future. It may seem implausible today but this is a real possibility. The
Weyland-Yutani Corp, also known as "The Company" from the Alien
franchise or Skynet from the Terminator franchise are becoming more of a
possibility as technology advances. The real question is that if this does
happen, If these companies become so mega that they can't fail, will they use
their power for good or bad.
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