Which company is more successful in the long run depends on which is capable of generating more income. By that measure, Google is probably doing much better than Baidu. There is an interesting comparison from CNNIC:
www.cnnic.net.cn/download/2005/2005083101.pdf
Two comparisons in particular stand out:
1) Google has LARGER market share for non-student users with income over 1500 RMB (~$200); for those with income over 5000 RMB (~$600), Google 58% vs Baidu 26%
2) Most of those who use Baidu as a secondary engine, use it primarily for MP3s, while Baidu/Google users switch to Google for general web searches and purchasing
So Baidu has a much larger base of users who are not planning to spend money. Thus, advertisers are not going pay the same rates as for Google.
You're making some big assumptions here. The biggest is that a bunch of software and hardware makers actually want multiple operating systems on the market. Why would they spend millions of dollars to complicate their lives? Before any major software makers support any new operating system, it would have to gain a large base of users that do not also use Windows.
Also, no one is going to switch to a new operating system simply because it offers "almost as good" remakes of popular made-for-Windows software products. For a new operating system, to replace Microsoft in the mainstream, it needs to be easier to use, be more stable, and offer software that is significantly better than the software available on Windows. Right now, Linux offers maybe one out of three.
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Which company is more successful in the long run depends on which is capable of generating more income. By that measure, Google is probably doing much better than Baidu. There is an interesting comparison from CNNIC: www.cnnic.net.cn/download/2005/2005083101.pdf Two comparisons in particular stand out: 1) Google has LARGER market share for non-student users with income over 1500 RMB (~$200); for those with income over 5000 RMB (~$600), Google 58% vs Baidu 26% 2) Most of those who use Baidu as a secondary engine, use it primarily for MP3s, while Baidu/Google users switch to Google for general web searches and purchasing So Baidu has a much larger base of users who are not planning to spend money. Thus, advertisers are not going pay the same rates as for Google.
You're making some big assumptions here. The biggest is that a bunch of software and hardware makers actually want multiple operating systems on the market. Why would they spend millions of dollars to complicate their lives? Before any major software makers support any new operating system, it would have to gain a large base of users that do not also use Windows. Also, no one is going to switch to a new operating system simply because it offers "almost as good" remakes of popular made-for-Windows software products. For a new operating system, to replace Microsoft in the mainstream, it needs to be easier to use, be more stable, and offer software that is significantly better than the software available on Windows. Right now, Linux offers maybe one out of three.