From the
hysterical
speculation and presumptuous reporting of the
last few days, one might think that Google had signed an affidavit of intent to launch free WiFi throughout the known
universe. Yes, Google has been buying dark fiber—for years. It's not news. Yes, the company released Google Secure
Access in what could possibly be a venture no more significant than the short-lived Web Accelerator. And that is
it. One thin client and two WiFi hot spots in the Bay area used for in-house testing.
A somewhat more reasoned glimpse into Google's possible future comes from author Stephen Arnold, who was
interviewed
by CNET's Elinor Mills. Arnold believes that Google's infrastructure accumulation will eventually lead to many kinds of
Web-based application delivery, and imagines Google unseating Microsoft as the leading, paradigm-setting tech company.
That kind of speculation sits well with me, because it's based on close observation and cautious generalization.
Google Galactic WiFi: Not Yet
Reader Comments
(Page 1)2. The "hysterical speculation" is warranted by the grandiose visions painted by Google's leadership. Eric Schmidt says that Google's goal is to make all the world's information available (not just web pages, but media), and on every device (not just PCs, but TVs).
Granted, the secure access client thing has been blown out of proportion -- it's just a VPN client, right?
But the Google Web Accelerator is far from "short-lived" -- it's very much alive. Google's been releasing new versions rapidly to original beta users, and just today, made it available for download again for a short time.
There are big things happening that will enable Google's mission. To achieve their mission, they need to find a way around the current gatekeepers and the current bandwidth limitations -- and if that means serving content instead of just indexing it, or running more of the network infrastructure, then you can be sure Google will find a creative way to do that.
GWA is on: http://www.buygoogle.com/2005/09/google-web-accelerator-risen-from-dead.html
GWA is off: http://www.buygoogle.com/2005/09/gwa-is-back-update.html
Grandiose vision: http://www.buygoogle.com/2005/05/zero-information-content.html
1. I just wonder if Google's growth won't be its eventual downfall. Unfortunately, it seems that in a competitive market, the winner often times gets singled out as a monopoly. Then the public that brought it there more often than not turns on it, demanding that it be broken up into small pieces. I mean look at what they want to do with Microsoft, and what they did with AT&T. Nobody was complaining when Microsoft was smaller.
Posted at 4:42AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Ara Pehlivanian