Mobile search Google’s (future) weak point?

Posted February 11, 2012 by Istvan in Mobile

Google continues to dominate the desktop and mobile search market, with most users making Google their default search engine, mainly because of its Android operating system, which dominates the global market. Bernstein analyst Craig Moffett, however, forecasts that Google could become vulnerable in the future.

Looking at the above chart, clearly both Yahoo and Bing have fallen way behind Google with their market share of searching. However, when looking at the operating systems palette it indicates that Apple is grabbing a significant market share, although Google still dominates the market. A recent study shows that the first-time smart phone buyer is more likely to choose the Android OS (57%) rather than Apple (37%).

However, using the Canalys study to view market trends, it becomes noticeable that users are tending to buy more smart phones or tablets rather than notebooks, laptops, or desktop PCs. This means the market is still set for strong growth, but the future of search is moving toward mobile search.

Another notable fact pushing the mobile market ahead is the recent trend with mobile broadband. According to a recent study conducted by Strategy Analytics, the typical maximum download speed advertised has increased dramatically over the last 3 months, because of LTE deployment and 3G upgrades to HSPA/HSPA+ technologies. This trend emphasizes the growth in the mobile industry by pushing mobile broadband even further forward.

A Bernstein research note sent out today forecasts that by 2016, the majority of Web queries will come from mobile devices, and this brings a completely new slant to the fight between Apple and Google.

Internet giant, Google, realized this market trend, and is now aggressively pushing its Android OS, because if the iOS continues to grow at its current pace then Android’s market share will drop. If this sequence of events continues to happen, then the moment will arrive when Apple – and even Samsung – says good-bye to Google as the default search engine.

Google aggressive strategy gives a hint as to their concern over this worst-case scenario for the search giant. With Google’s every move pointing to obtaining a monopoly in the market, we can forget ACTA, SOPA and PIPA, and the competitive market, and this in turn means that Apple, RIM, and Microsoft will have to choose Google as the default search engine for their devices. What will this mean for users? What do you think?