Google Apps to Become Paid Service

FredDC writes "Business Week reports Google Apps is becoming a paid service soon for companies who wish to use it for their domain. Disney and Pixar are reportedly thinking about switching to Google Apps instead of using Microsoft Office. Could this be the end of a monopoly? Or the start of a new one?"

Comments

Pixar's considering Google Apps?

[Whiney Mac Fanboy]

WTF? Why is Pixar considering Google Apps? Isn't Apple's .mac service up to scratch?

Anyway, I've been using Apps for my personal domain for quite a while. It's pretty great for a freebie - just point your mx records at google, create an admin account and google takes care of everything else. Setup catch all accounts, gmail accounts for different users, calender, gtalk, etc are all there.

But I won't continue to use it if it costs anything. Like I said, its great for a freebie.

Re:Pixar's considering Google Apps?

[Whiney Mac Fanboy]

So it's the killer widget instead of the killer office suite? Maybe Apple should be scared then. :P

It's an exchange killer, not an office killer.

Apple and Google don't compete. Apple has no need to be afraid of Google.

Re:Pixar's considering Google Apps?

[uhlume]

Ever hear of Writely? Google Spreadsheets? Presently? Why on earth would you assume that the current (beta) incarnation of Google Apps for Your Domain is anything more than an initial offering?

Re:Pixar's considering Google Apps?

[node 3]

Probably because it would seem weird for all *Pixar* employees to have "@mac.com" email addresses. .Mac is really an excellent service for the home user. For the enterprise, not so much (nor is it intended to be).

Pixar and Disney going with Google Apps would have significant implications (all good, I think) for .Mac.

Leads to open formats

[vijayiyer]

The use of Google Apps will not create a monopoly. Rather, it will precede a shift to real open formats (i.e., not Microsoft's XML implementations) which are application agnostic. Interfaces, rather than applications, are what must be open to truly benefit consumers.

Re:Let's see...

[anomalous cohort]

Contrary to the title, it's not MS-Office that google is going after, it is Exchange.

Every Exchange admin I have ever spoken with claims that it is a nightmare to set up and maintain. There is a trend now to outsource that functionality. Google is targeting that market.

Tinfoil hat time

[TinBromide]

Simply because a tiger hasn't eaten your face yet doesn't mean it won't in the future. We should be as suspicious of google as we are of any other big software company. Just because they have a catchy bumper sticker slogan doesn't inoculate them to the temptations of corporate culture.

Re:Tinfoil hat time

[EvanED]

Should we be suspicious of every large business that started out small?

Yes. (Then again, I tend to be very cynical about companies in general.)

At what point does a small, presumably non-corporate business become "big" and full of the "temptations of corporate culture"?

Hard to say, but if you can influence back door sessions of state legislatures I think that's a good indication you've crossed the boundary.

And when I'm not connected?

[ReallyEvilCanine]

Let's pretend $MegaCorp dumps MS Office and implements Google apps. What the fuck am I supposed to use to write my documents, spreadsheets and now presentations if I'm in a car, plane, train, backwards country -- wherever I can't jack into the Net? Notepad?

Re:Google server in a box?

[ScentCone]

I cant imagine a real company allowing its data to be housed outside its control.

Guess what: a lot of real companies can't imagine trusting their most important data to only their in-house IT guys. Otherwise there wouldn't be successful companies that handle the outsourcing of hosted apps, backups, e-commerce, and so on. And there are. There are also plenty of companies that thought they had it all under control internally, and totally blew it.