I love this map from Gizmodo which aims to plot the battlegrounds that are raging between Apple, Microsoft and Google. The thing that fascinates me is the different business models through which the different companies sell their products. From the Microsoft perspective there is a definite shift between partner model (which is my original background in Microsoft) to direct – think about the Microsoft Store, Zune, Xbox 360, Azure etc.
From an accuracy perspective on the diagram, one disagreement I have is the war for “web software” which is described as Quicktime vs. Silverlight. This should instead be HTML5 vs. Silverlight – I’m sorry Quicktime is not a valid medium for web software – no chance.
There’s also no “social” battleground which right now would be Google vs. Microsoft: Buzz vs Windows Live. Which one is going to be stronger there? Eyes look towards the launch of Windows Live Wave 4… Of course, if you add this vector then Facebook would look strangely absent from the page.
What’s your take on it?