How the Google platform will play out

Following the news that Google is beginning the roll-out of scalable web application infrastructure services, I've been thinking about this is going to play out.

It’s pretty obvious that the Google platform will be built out to incorporate cloud computing and all of the other components needed to host and scale a web app as Amazon are doing with their own suite of web services. Google will then have a piece of the action at every point:

• Driving traffic to the site (Google Adwords)
• The hardware and software infrastructure (BigTable and other services)
• Reporting (Google Analytics)
• Maximizing conversions (Google Optimizer)
• Taking money (Google Checkout)
• Monetizing page views (Google AdSense)

Unlike Amazon, who charge for the use of their web services, Google will be able to make money from a blend of these services - some offered free and others paid-for, and also make a profit for the application developer. I think this will make it an unstoppable proposition.

The next logical step will be for Google to extend this further with pre-built application design patterns and templates. I can imagine a web interface where you’ll be able to assemble your application online, then use all of the Google services above to turn it into a business. You'll be able to sell online and make ad revenue, and Google will take its cut.

What's more, it’ll be a piece of cake for Google to acquire any applications that become successful because they’ll already be designed in the Google house style and hosted on their infrastructure so integration costs will be insignificant. This potential exit route will make it an appealing choice for entrepreneurs.

Overall I think this will lead to a huge amount of innovation with new web applications, but a Google monopoly is definitely something we should be concerned about.

Comments

[David Stone]

No comments about Android? Deploying both a web & mobile application platform in a short space of time.

Depending how this pans out they might be aiming more at Facebook then Amazon?

[Tom Nixon]

That's an interesting thought about Android. Potentially Google could make the AppEngine SDK deploy to both Android and to the web, leaving the developer only having to think about creating a mobile UI.

I sincerely hope that Google will get behind portable social networks in a big way which would force Facebook to open up more.

[David Stone]

Well, IMHO phone is your social network, not mail (which everyone currently does, sign in at X to get contacts). Jaiku changed that for Google, Jaiku's j2me app links directly with your contacts on your phone.

Closely couple Jaiku & Gmail's Contacts API into the default GAE API (GAE is all closely coupled compared with Amazon's AWS), and you have a very powerful applications environment. Contacts, mobile & web application platforms. Voila, an open application platform with more features than Facebook and probably more users. Is this just a move towards the bigger picture of OpenSocial?

The next thing GAE does is open the 'knowledge worker' pattern from inside Google upon the open world. The proof in that is the launch of openId via your Google account, just launched on GAE. Under 24 hours development. Google might not need to get behind portable social networks if the community does it for them...

The first Google acquisition that runs on GAE will be a notable event for a number of reasons.

[David Stone]

BTW, I put more of my thoughts into a blog post:

http://builtbydave.co.uk/2008/04/13/google-application-engine-vs-facebook-f8/