[Even offline, the large merchants are offering very real advantages to consumers, and are] far superior to most local retailers, ... There are always exceptions, but by and large that's the case. In a large bookstore, you can get coffee, sit in a comfortable chair, lounge for hours -- it's really an experience. |
[It sounds spiffy, but there is reason to be skeptical. Set-top boxes and other appliances designed to ease the use of the Web haven't taken off, despite grand promises.] It's an innovative idea, ... These are the same users that won't even download new software on their browsers. |
[Others say the deal could also raise flags over the combined AOL Time Warner's ability to limit access to Internet content.] From the consumer point of view, there may be questions about whether you'll have to be an AOL subscriber to get Time magazine, ... That combination of media with the access is one through which you may be able to block access to your competitors' subscribers. |
[With Windows Live, Microsoft] is asking people to entrust a lot of their lives in the hands of Microsoft, ... Trust is a loaded word for Microsoft. |
Ad-supported software for consumers and very small businesses is only the beginning. Microsoft's real aim is to build and host a service platform that will attract the investment of developers looking for a way to reach these market sectors. |
At least they're not going backwards. This is a turnaround. They're growing. Just not as much as everyone else. |
Despite the struggles of its ISP arm, AOL.com is well positioned because of the number of users of AIM (AOL's Instant Messaging) and the strength of its new online mail offering. |
Everyone has a different way of dealing with content. If a portal can produce better results with tagging or intelligence than its competitors, people will come to that site and use it instead of the others. |
Finding and indexing it and making sense of it -- they do a very good job of it. You could argue that it?s a step ahead of what Google and Yahoo and Blinkx is doing. |
From the consumer point of view, there may be questions about whether you'll have to be an AOL subscriber to get Time magazine. That combination of media with the access is one through which you may be able to block access to your competitors' subscribers. |
Google is taking a lot of hits to its image as a benevolent spreader of new and better technology. In some ways, its success has made people scrutinize what it does much more closely. |
has one side of (video search) done very well. |
Having a balanced approach to content lets a Web company target a range of audiences. Different people are willing to pay for different things. |
I don't think my mom will be able to use it. |
I think Google is going to blow them out of the water. So they need to dive into some niche and develop something other than just blog search. |