Facebook extinct as Chrome to be No. 1 Browser in 2012AD – FB rides Bed Knobs and Broomsticks Mobile Revolution against Google+

Facebook is facing a serious dilemma in the next few Quarters of 2012AD. This as Google Chrome, their crash-prone Browser, is set to become the No. 1 Browser in the world.  This is impressive in itself, as four (4) years ago in 2008AD, Google Chrome was a nobody as stated in the article “Why Facebook needs to build a Browser”, published April 14, 2012 10:40 AM PDT by Ben Parr, CNET News while IE had 68.5% of the market.

Google Chrome now four (4) years wiser, has flipped the script and to this present day has whittled down the lead of IE to 34.8% with Google Chrome in their rear view mirror commanding 30.9% of total Browser deployments.

Take a look at the graph below:

Google Chrome 16 had beat out IE8 (Internet Explorer) for pole position briefly in December 2011AD as stated in the article  “Chrome scores a victory in the Browser wars’, published December 16, 2011 10:19 AM PST by Harry McCracken, CNET News and  “Chrome 15 beats out Internet Explorer 8 in global popularity”, published December 15, 2011 By Mike Flacy, DigitalTrends.

In that period of time, Mozilla Firefox, the Open Source Browser frequently update by the Mozilla Foundation fell to No.3 position. A very grave concern for Mozilla at the time, as it was felt that they were slowly losing relevance as argued in the following articles  “Is Firefox’s fate up in the air?”, published December 5, 2011 By Molly McHugh, DigitalTrends and  “Facing Trouble, Mozilla Argues Importance of Firefox”, published December 5, 2011 1:19 PM By Jared Newman, PCWorld .

  

It was also felt that Google had effectively breached its Search Engine Royalty Agreement with the Mozilla Foundation. Such worries were soon laid to rest. This as Google renewed its Search Engine Royalty Agreement with Mozilla Foundation on 20^th December 2011AD.

Value of the Friendship with Google: US$900 million for the next three (3) years, approximately US$300 million per year as detailed in the article  “Firefox saved as Google renews default search engine deal”, published December 20, 2011 By Jeff Hughes, DigitalTrends and  “More details on the Google/Firefox deal emerge, big numbers involved”, published December 23, 2011 By Andy Boxall, DigitalTrends

Based on the statistics of analyst StatCounter which relayed all the above and made it as plain as a graph to understand, I would like to declare that StatCounter is now my favourite analyst for the First Quarter of 2012AD as they are the first to herald the coming demise of Facebook!

A serious concern for Facebook, which relies heavily on visitors to its website from IE, the Browser of its partner-in-crime Microsoft. Visitors to Facebook normally use the default IE 6 browsers on their computer instead of the competition, mainly Google Chrome and Firefox.

Interestingly, Microsoft as far back as December 2011AD was trying to gently grandfather users of the outdate IE 6 to IE 8 (Windows XP Professional) and IE 9 (Windows 7) as stated in the article “Microsoft actively urges IE 6 users to upgrade”, published November 30, 2009 3:08 PM PST by Stephen Shankland, CNET News and the article “Microsoft to start silent upgrades to Internet Explorer” published December 15, 2011 By Geoff Duncan, DigitalTrends.

Thus far the transition has been slow, mainly because most Americans and the rest of the normal people worldwide, aren’t into browsers specs. Thus the need to change something known for something unknown i.e. Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox when IE 6 already come pre-loaded on Windows is at the heart of the stubborn resilience of IE 6.

The Software Developer Community since January 2012AD has been gravely alarmed over Google’s Machiavellian ambitions  to integrate Google+ Search results into Google Chrome as expressed in “Engineers from Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace collaborate to challenge Google’s Search Plus Your World”, published January 23, 2012 By Molly McHugh, DigitalTrends.

An initiative called Google Search Plus Your World, it’s the first indication that something was definitely wrong in the Search Engine world and possibly, possibly, just maybe the unthinkable was happening: Google may be evil! The integration of the different products being offered by Google is now evident if one looks at Google’s Search Page, which now has a convenient floating tab at the top left corner of the page.

Effectively, Google can control what results appear in their Search engine, biasing search results towards any product platform that they own. Emphasis here folks: this is a VERY serious developement in the Search Engine World that not only affects Facebook but every other website, blog or Social Network NOT affiliated with or enemies of Google!

Example1 : The No.2 Search Engine and excellent video finder is YouTube, which is set to make a profit this year as stated in my blog article entitled “YouTube’s March To profitability in the Fourth Quarter of 2012AD - Digital Video and Music Piracy of the Caribbean On stranger Tides”. Google can make it profitable by pushing more searches for videos to YouTube, not to mention making partnerships with Video Downloading software to track and monetize what is effectively piracy.

Example 2: Google + was a Social Network outing that began with Google +1 initiative in March 2011AD which I had predicted was the precursors for a Social Network as stated in my blog article entitled “Google +1 and their Social Networks Machinations - If Tomorrow Comes”.

Their nascent yet slowly rising Social Network Google+ would obviously get a boost. All of this is to the disadvantage of Facebook, Google’s competitor. In essence, it’s a conflict of interest on the part of Google and Software Developers know it. These changes set a dangerous precedent and indicate that Google is willing to be ruthless to get its way.

We did not have to wait long to confirm Google turn to the Dark Side: Google soon began integrating Google+ with their Google Chrome as well by January 10^th 2012AD as stated in the article “Google starts to integrate Google+ with search results” published January 10, 2012 By Geoff Duncan, DigitalTrends.

Throw in the fact that Google Chrome OS is bubbling after a year and four months on the market as stated in the article “Google Chrome books celebrate 1 year anniversary”, published December 12, 2011 By Molly McHugh, DigitalTrends.

Google Chrome OS is still seen as the wave of the future as opined in my blog article entitled “Google Chrome OS and Open Source - Star Wars A New Hope”. Simple fix for the slow sales of Google Chrome books:  aesthetics changes to make the laptops look and function like Apple MacBook Airs would see them fly off the shelves, making the worries of Microsoft and Facebook double.

So what’s Facebook to do against the coming horde from Google as it gathers the pieces of itself like a just destroyed but indestructible Sentinel named Nimrod, X-Men Style?

Building their own Browser is an option as suggested in the article “Why Facebook needs to build a Browser”, published April 14, 2012 10:40 AM PDT by Ben Parr, CNET News is logical but will take months to gain traction, even with Facebook’s reach. A partnership with RockMelt is also feasible, but will take awhile to gain traction as they do not occupy a significant portion of the Browser market to be popular within 2012AD.

Don’t underestimate the growing power of Google Chrome OS and ChromeBooks, which may also make a debut on Tablets soon as prognosticate in my blog article entitled “Google Chrome OS for Tablets Coming - Around the World in 80 Days”.

So any move to partner with a Browser or make a Browser is a late move at best and is an option that has thus far escaped Facebook. It would have had an effect had it been done as far back as 2008AD as it would appear that it takes four (4) years for a new Open Source Browser to become relevant.

Thus the answer, realistically and ironically, lies with Microsoft IE 10.

Microsoft, an investor in Facebook, needs to improve Internet Explorer by not only enableing it with all the features of its rival Google Chrome, but to also make the Browser Open Source and free. By gaining the support of the Open Source Developer Community, they can leverage their slim lead to their advantage by getting more of their code into the able hands of the Open Source Community.

Internet Explorer is a default standard on all Window 7 Machines, now slowly gaining on Windows XP Professional as the most popular Windows OS in the market as stated in the Geezam blog article entitled “Windows 7 trumps Windows XP for Pole Position – Windows 8 Cloudy Future”.

This can be done by making IE 9 free for all Windows 7 users instead of users having to purchase it. Including IE 9 in the updates for Windows 7 is already a good start as stated in the article “Microsoft actively urges IE 6 users to upgrade”, published November 30, 2009 3:08 PM PST by Stephen Shankland, CNET News and the article “Microsoft to start silent upgrades to Internet Explorer” published December 15, 2011 By Geoff Duncan, DigitalTrends.

The upgrade to Windows 8, which is widely expected to debut as IE 10 and be a Cloud-based OS like Google Chrome OS as opined in my blog article entitled “Windows and Cloud Computing - Audia Resident Evil After-Market Taste-and-Buy” is an opportunity for Microsoft to regain market share as well as assist its partner Facebook.

Finally Facebook needs to push its presence on Mobile platforms, be they smartphones, Tablets or Ultrabooks. This is the same prescription that has been suggested to help save Mozilla Foundation’s Firefox Browser in the long run as stated in my Geezam Blog article entitled “Chrome 16 beats Firefox and IE8 –Mozilla going Mobile and Cloud OS on Smartphones, Tablets and UltraBoooks”.

Mozilla has no presence in the Mobile world as stated in the article “Every moment counts in Mozilla's bid for Mobile relevance”, published January 25, 2012 4:10 AM PST by Stephen Shankland, CNET News. The increasing relevance of Mobile Browsing as stated in the article “Uh-oh, PC: Half of computing device sales are Mobile”, published January 16, 2012, 8:54am PT By Kevin C. Tofel, GigaOM

In summary, Facebook, like Mozilla Firefox, needs to put increasing emphasis on its Mobile smartphone users and the coming Mobile Internet Revolution Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) style against the coming Nimrod X-Men Style that is Google+.