Larry Page On Apple's Thermonuclear War: 'How Well Is That Working?'

[Phokus]

http://www.androidpolice.com/2013/0...-is-doing-a-really-bad-job-on-their-products/

Hahahaha, ice burn!

 

[Oyeve]

He's right. Facebook does suck.

 

[ReactionGames]

agreed

 

[phucheneh]

Even if I used Facebook, I wouldn't call it a 'good product.'

Facebook got popular due to a few key things. Namely, so-called 'social media' per the accepted definition, was not popular. Myspace was the biggest, AFAIK. And Myspace was basically a giant collection of Geocities pages.

Facebook simply moved in with an alternative that would appeal more to people outside adolescence. It didn't really do anything that well...just gave you a page with some basic info, a list of 'friends,' what is essentially a guestbook, and the ability to add pictures. Then kinda half-assed linked it all together.

Mark Zuckerberg was only a genius when it comes to pushing shitty product. And frankly, I don't think much of it was even him; he got lucky because the high school and college crowd chose his service, and it spread like a virus from there. His company's only major job was to make sure the service kept working.

Facebook chose Mark Zuckerberg. He's like the Joan of Arc of making the internet suck.

 

[Dari]

I think it's working out for everyone. Forced to innovate rather than riding on the coattails of others, consumers and producers are benefitting tremendously.

 

[Mopetar]

Even if I used Facebook, I wouldn't call it a 'good product.'

It was a good enough product at the time, and the rest is history. As you point out the biggest competitor at the time was MySpace, and comparing it to a collection of geocities pages is being nice. Really, really nice.

MySpace was DML, Diarrhea Markup Language, an unholy union of HTML and something more ungodly than Satan himself splattered across a web browser. Its almost as though someone thought that the blink tag was the best thing since internet pornography and went from there.

Once it took off, there was no stopping it. The entire point of a social network is the number of people in it. It doesn't matter if Google+ were thirty times better because no one uses it and it has failed to hit critical mass. The entire point of the product is that everyone you know is most likely using the product, which makes it insanely useful, even if everything else about it is pure ass. Mind you, not Natalie Portman ass, but 350 lb. trucker ass.

So in that sense, Facebook is the perfect social network platform. It has almost everyone on it, even if they're no longer active. Hell, even though they still can't actually find Jimmy Hoffa, you can find him on Facebook. In that way it's not just a good product, it's an insanely good product.

 

[phucheneh]

I completely understand what you're saying, and tried to echo similar sentiments, more or less.

Except the 'perfect' part. But you could still call it 'the pinnacle of social networking.' It is a rather sucky thing to admit. Like calling Walmart the pinnacle of shopping...I think it's rock bottom as far as product (as in the stores, and the actual products sold) quality. BUT MAN IS THERE A LOT OF STUFF IN THERE!

 

[Mopetar]

But Facebook isn't about providing a great social networking experience for the end user. It's about getting as much data about users as possible and using that to push ads at you. Just like Wal-Mart isn't about providing an exemplary shopping experience or top-shelf products. Generally the market leader in anything isn't offering the best experience as someone else can offer more appeal to the masses by cutting costs.

 

[lopri]

Gotcha journalism at its finest. Can't blame the OP for linking it, but the whole article was a waste of 2 minutes of my life.

 

[PowerYoga]

Gotcha journalism at its finest. Can't blame the OP for linking it, but the whole article was a waste of 2 minutes of my life.

Don't like Apple, but gotta agree with this. What a waste of time.

 

[cbrunny]

These comments make me wonder if smart phones were spurred on by Facebook or similar products. The way that Facebook links many things together, combined with the demand to be "always on" likely influenced the development of the first smart phones.

Not saying the technology wouldn't have surfaced without Facebook, but it may have taken longer for it to do so.

 

[Red Storm]

These comments make me wonder if smart phones were spurred on by Facebook or similar products. The way that Facebook links many things together, combined with the demand to be "always on" likely influenced the development of the first smart phones.

Not saying the technology wouldn't have surfaced without Facebook, but it may have taken longer for it to do so.

I don't think Facebook or similar social networking services had any part in it.

 

[Yongsta]

I remember in the late 90's when Larry Page was adamant that Google would never have ads... the innocent days. Too bad Steve Jobs isn't around to see this "thermonuclear war" through.

 

[thecapsaicinkid]

I really wish everyone would abandon Facebook and Twitter for Google+. I genuinely think it's an excellent product.

 

[cheezy321]

I really wish everyone would abandon Facebook and Twitter for Google+. I genuinely think it's an excellent product.

Good for you. meanwhile the rest of the non-tech world continues to enjoy facebook and twitter. You can have your fun in the nerdery on Google+

 

[thecapsaicinkid]

Good for you. meanwhile the rest of the non-tech world continues to enjoy facebook and twitter. You can have your fun in the nerdery on Google+

There's nothing funnier than a nerd on the Internet calling another nerd on the Internet a nerd.

 

[Skel]

There's nothing funnier than a nerd on the Internet calling another nerd on the Internet a nerd.

You have a very odd sense of humor.

 

[Zaap]

^ He's right though. (I would have said lamer though, not funnier).

And yeah Apple's 'Thermonuclear War' seems to have detonated on themselves. Also pretty lame.

 

[cheezy321]

There's nothing funnier than a nerd on the Internet calling another nerd on the Internet a nerd.

 

[WelshBloke]

Good for you. meanwhile the rest of the non-tech world continues to enjoy facebook and twitter. You can have your fun in the nerdery on Google+

I thought you'd be trying to push Apple's Ping... Oh... Yeah, never mind eh?

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Google+ is practically extinct. Only small pockets of the internet continue to use it. Of all my RL friends, I had 2-3 friends consistently posting on it. Now it's down to 1. And oh yeah, he works at Google....

Edit: Oh wait I found a post by another guy in Dec. Oh wait, another Google employee, his first I've seen in many many months.

 

[WelshBloke]

Google+ is practically extinct. Only small pockets of the internet continue to use it. Of all my RL friends, I had 2-3 friends consistently posting on it. Now it's down to 1. And oh yeah, he works at Google....

Edit: Oh wait I found a post by another guy in Dec. Oh wait, another Google employee, his first I've seen in many many months.

Depends on how you define using it.

I don't post on it but it backs up all the photos and videos on my phone.

I bet a lot of people use it without knowing.

 

[Skel]

Depends on how you define using it.

I don't post on it but it backs up all the photos and videos on my phone.

I bet a lot of people use it without knowing.

Did you configure your phone to backup to it or is that something it just does? If it's something it just does; what are the default security settings?

 

[WelshBloke]

Did you configure your phone to backup to it or is that something it just does? If it's something it just does; what are the default security settings?

I think it asks you if you want to use instant upload and whether to use wifi or mobile data. As default it keeps everything private.

 

[Skel]

I think it asks you if you want to use instant upload and whether to use wifi or mobile data. As default it keeps everything private.

Maybe it's because I've dealt with FB but that's a scary thought to me. One setting update rolled out could expose a ton of private data like pictures. It's one thing to back up to a cloud type file server but it's another to back up to a social media site.

I could be misunderstanding it though.