Introduction
The leading global companies in the internet market, such as Apple, Google, and Facebook, differ in their strategies considerably, allowing them to dominate the same industry simultaneously. Apple Inc. focuses on selling devices in the luxury segment, expanding the scope of their products to even MP3 players and tracking devices. The company targets high-income individuals who can afford to pay considerable amounts for top-tier smartphones or laptops. The technology options grant Apple a superior position compared to the manufacturers in the same market, considering that Apple constantly expands its product range.
Google, however, is also related to the Internet as it is one of the leading searching systems worldwide. Furthermore, the company expands its operations to the advertising market, allowing businesses to attract customers online not only in the global market. The company also collaborates with smartphone manufacturers, providing their devices with Android operating systems (Laudon & Laudon, 2019). Another competitive advantage of Google is that they purchased shares of Motorola and since then launched their technology to internet users.
As for Facebook, it is recognized as the leading social networking company, considering that people of different age groups use it. Moreover, the company launched an application that worked with the Android operating system and served as a Facebook home page for the devices (Hundley, 2019). The organization is a great competitor of Google, considering that it has a search system with helpful and unique tools and features.
Overall, even though the aforementioned companies dominate the same niche in the market, their core competencies and business models still differ based on the product type and services they offer. Therefore, Facebook and Google both collaborate with Android operating systems, whereas Apple provides its customer with a unique IOS operating system. In addition, Facebook is not the manufacturer of technological devices, unlike Google and Apple, which provide numerous technology options. Still, Apple has a broader range of devices, including smartwatches, trackers, and earphones, that Google does not produce.
The Significance of Mobile Computing
Undoubtedly, Apple, Google, and Facebook are situated in the technology and the internet market, which typically requires a connection to mobile computing. The organizations provide the customers with technological devices or mobile applications that are related to each other and cannot be used without one another. For instance, Apple’s software and hardware development automatically link its products to mobile computing and expands this industry (Sohail, 2018). Google is connected to the market as it not only manufactures the devices but provides users with a search system and advertising opportunities (Laudon & Laudon, 2019). Facebook is a leading social media network, which means that mobile computing is integral to their business.
Furthermore, the companies implement different mobile strategies to align their products or services with the usage of mobile devices. Apple’s design is exceptional as people cannot use their operating system, IOS, without purchasing the brand’s devices (Laudon & Laudon, 2019). Most of its devices can cooperate only with Apple products, meaning that Android devices cannot be linked to the company’s products. Google is also focusing on one operating system, Android, providing users with free applications and features already installed on laptops or smartphones (Laudon & Laudon, 2019). Naturally, the search system and advertising are strongly related to the usage of mobile devices; neither can be accessed without technological devices. Facebook is a social media network that provides people with applications and search systems, which are helpful to those who possess mobile devices (Hundley, 2019). That is why the company thrives thankfully to internet users, and Facebook’s operations are beneficial to technology manufacturers due to the growing number of mobile device users.
Apple’s and Facebook’s Competition with Google
Mobile computing is strongly related to search systems, considering that it is a user-technology interaction that includes data transmission or information search. Thus, the companies, such as Google or Facebook, help people find information online, storing data sources or providing access to countless online pages. Even though the Google Chrome search system is one of the most popular nowadays, used by 65% of all internet users, Apple and Facebook continue to compete with the organization (Statista Research Department, 2021). To be more exact, Apple attempts to dominate Google’s niche by providing its customers with its search engine, Safari, used by 18% of technology users (Statista Research Department, 2021). Still, the company is unlikely to become dominant in this market since Safari cannot be accessed on Android devices, meaning that people need IOS devices to use the network (Laudon & Laudon, 2019). Facebook, provides users with an opportunity to search for the needed information on the company’s social network (Hundley, 2019). Thus, internet users cannot always find reliable or verified data on Facebook Search, making this search tool untrustworthy and unable to compete with Google.
The dominance of the Internet
Having analyzed companies’ business models and core competencies, it seems fair to claim that Google is the most capable of dominating the internet. To elaborate, the organization expands its operations into three directions: advertising placements, search engines, and device manufacturing. Moreover, it is already the most used search system worldwide and will remain such for a long time, considering its features and access to countless websites and sources. Google also collaborates with Android operating systems, which ultimately increases its users of mobile applications and online search tools.
Exploring Scenarios of Apple’s, Google’s, and Facebook’s Internet Dominance
Naturally, the aforementioned companies provide users with different online experiences, considering that their operations differ considerably. Therefore, if each company were to dominate the internet, it would affect the users in dissimilar ways. For instance, Apple’s superior position in the technology and internet market would require internet users to purchase the company’s devices. As the IOS operating system can be linked only to Apple products, people would not be able to use the search system, Safari, without the expensive iPhones, iPads, or MacBooks. As for Google’s dominance, it can be assumed that users would be in a more comfortable position than in the previous case, as the company’s services can be accessed through any device (Shaw, 2020). However, it seems that Android users may get more benefits, considering that they could use numerous Google features and applications for free (Shaw, 2020). Furthermore, Facebook’s supremacy is advantageous to people, considering that more people would use the company’s network for social interaction, business, and advertising. However, the only drawback of such a scenario is that users may suffer from sometimes unreliable and untrustworthy information retrieved through Facebook Search, which includes the social network’s data.
Personal Internet Experience
It seems significant to mention that I tend to use my smartphone primarily for communication and information searches. That is why my most used applications are Instagram, Google, and Notes. The first social media network seems convenient to use, considering that I can text my friends and parents, share interesting posts and videos, and follow influencers that share my interests. As for Google, I find it helpful when seeking information for my studies on Google Scholar, which is a lot faster than searching for information in paperbacks. Furthermore, I use this search engine for online shopping as it gives access to numerous websites and online shops. Notes is a simple application, yet incredibly useful since I can write my ideas, and plans for the day and set notifications for important events.
References
Hundley, J. (2019). Facebook is a local search engine. Are you treating it like one? Search Engine Watch. Web.
Laudon, C. K., & Laudon, J. P. (2019). Managing information systems: Managing the digital firm (16th ed.). Pearson.
Shaw, M. (2020). Why Google is the best search engine (and why businesses should care) – In my opinion. Tower. Web.
Sohail, O. (2018). Here’s how Apple changed the mobile computing industry with its custom processors for its widened product portfolio. Wccftech. Web.
Statista Research Department. (2021). Global and U.S. market share of leading internet browsers 2021. Statista. Web.