Best Brands, Innovative Products

conq writes "BusinessWeek just came out with its best global brands list. The list is quite similar to last year's with Coke topping it. The brand with the highest growth year over year: Google. The comment: 'Its recent inclusion as a verb in the Oxford English Dictionary confirms what competitors feared: Google means search to an army of Web users.'" I thought this tied in nicely to tappytibbins' story. They write "eWEEK.com has posted a feature with their picks of the 25 most innovative PC products of the last 25 years. Their #1 pick is a bit uninspired: The IBM PC. Down at #8 is the Mac. And is Apache really more of an innovation than Linux?" From that article: "15 - Palm Pilot: With an almost Zen-like minimalism of both software and hardware complexity, the Palm Pilot was no more than users needed?and exactly what many wanted."

Comments

Watch out Coca-Cola!

[ackthpt]

Number 1, Coca-Cola had better watch their back for Number 2, Microsoft!

With Microsoft's flair for chumming up to other businesses, just before "innovating" their own brands right into that market, one must be cautious.

New from Microsoft: Microsoft Cola Soft Drinks! Available in the following popular flavours (as determined by Microsoft's own R&D department.)

• Vista Beta Cola (container sizes are all the same, but content may vary)
• IE 7.0 Cola
• Sushi Soda
• Zune Soda (Every bit as good as Apple Soda!)
• Latte Cola
• XCola 360
• Diet Wasabi Cola
• Beer Soda
• Lite Beer Soda
• Steve's Chairy Cola (With a flavour so great it'll f___ing kill you!)
• Cool Ranch Cola
• Redmond Springs Mineral Water (Low Fat - Caffeine Free)

Please check www.microsoftcola.com/support periodically for updates and patches to our famous beverages

Google's Brand

[LaNMaN2000]

I am very surprised to see Google mentioned as a company with a strong brand. While they are the market leader in search, their brand value is minimal with respect to the myriad of other services that they have launched. Yahoo seems to have a much stronger brand as indicated by its ability to establish top 5 contenders in markets as disperate as online dating, business/finance, e-mail, etc. under the Yahoo brand. While Google has a strong reputation in search, its ability to attract people to other services under the Google brand has been lackluster at best.

Re:Google's Brand

[loteck]

Nobody I know ever says that they "Yahooed it".

I think it's a pretty strong indication of brand value when the name of your company becomes a commonly used verb in the english language.

Re:Google's Brand

[ackthpt]

Nobody I know ever says that they "Yahooed it".
I think it's a pretty strong indication of brand value when the name of your company becomes a commonly used verb in the english language.[link to wikipedia/googling]

Google (as a verb) is accepted in the Oxford On-line Dictionary, too.

Not sure Yahooligans caught on. I'm certain it was even frowned upon in some countries where Hooligan has a stronger negative connotation than it carries in the USA

Sheesh!

[Anonymous Coward]

Their #1 pick is a bit uninspired: The IBM PC.

Yeah, clearly nothing ever came of that.

MS Cola FAQ

[servognome]

Why doesn't my cola can open?
MS cans are complex devices. While they are engineered to world class specifications and thoroughly tested, it cannot be guaranteed that it will function in all conditions. Please take the following steps before contacting customer service:
Ensure you have the can oriented correctly
Ensure you are lifing the tab - This is located at the top of the can
Ensure sufficient force is being applied to lift the tab - Check finger for any breaks, muscle tears, or other abnormalities which may cause insufficient force to be applied

Why must I agree to a EULA before opening my drink?
EULAs are standard throughout the beverage industry. They are designed to clearly communicate your rights, as well as the rights and limitations of Microsoft, its partners, and subsidiaries.

My drink is coming out of holes in the can other than the one for drinking
This is a known issue. Please apply the latest security patches to address this issue

MS Cola went up my nose when I was laughing, and it hurts
Microsoft is not responsible and does not support such use of soda as outlined in the EULA. For information on development of undocumented soda use please navigate to the developer forum: microsoft.com/MCola/developer/forum.htm

I purchased a 12 pack, can my kids drink some of the soda?
Sharing is prohibited for the standard home edition of MS Cola. Multi-user packs are available for purchase as a seperate product.

How can I beta test Crystal Microsoft Cola?

Beta testing has not begun. You may subscribe to the CMC Newsletter for the latest information on this development product.

When will CMC be available
Crystal Microsoft Cola is scheduled to be part of the Vista launch event.

Apache vs. Linux

[tverbeek]

"And is Apache really more of an innovation than Linux?"

• Apache: a Free server for a networking protocol (HTTP) introduced in the early 1990s.
• Linux: a Free operating system modeled after an OS introduced in the early 1970s.

Yeah, in the context of the last 25 years, I think one of those is more of an innovation than the other.