A section of a demonstration Google spreadsheet.
Users are reacting to Google's new online spreadsheet with a big yawn. Is the company searching for a strategy?
Can there be too much of a good thing? Some Google watchers are beginning to think so. Leading technology bloggers' reactions to Google Spreadsheets, which allows users to build and share simple Excel-like spreadsheets on line, have ranged from lukewarm to hostile.
That's a first for Google, which is accustomed to winning kudos every time it rolls out a free, Web-based version of some function previously confined to the PC desktop -- the realm long ruled by Microsoft. For instance, in place of the Windows search function, the company created Google Desktop in 2004. As a competitor for Outlook, there's the one-two punch of Gmail and Google Calendar. For Word, there's the soon-to-be-relaunched Writely, an online word-processing program. In lieu of Publisher, there's Google Page Creator, and for MSN Messenger, Google Talk. And now, up against Excel, there's Google Spreadsheets. (Many observers expect that, if only for completeness, Google will create an online presentation-builder akin to Microsoft's PowerPoint.)
Until the limited beta launch of Google Spreadsheets on June 6, technology bloggers and other early adopters greeted each new Google service with enthusiasm -- seeming to relish the possibility that Google was contemplating a serious move against Microsoft Office. But this time around, critics are assailing Google's latest offering for having several technical weaknesses. And, more significantly, they're beginning to question whether Google's long-term strategy in the arena of Web-based software applications is good for the company, for users, and for the Web.
"When is the last time Google released a product that really changed our lives?" asked Michael Arrington, author of the popular TechCrunch blog, in a recent posting about Google Spreadsheets and the company's photo-management program, Picasa. "For me, it was (and is) their core search engine...They need to build aggressive and visionary products, kill stuff that doesn't work...and start telling us what Google 2.0 is going to be."
Google Spreadsheets -- like every spreadsheet program since VisiCalc and Lotus 1-2-3 pioneered the genre (and created the first real demand for PCs) in the early 1980s -- helps users create tidy data tables and do basic number-crunching, such as adding up the entries in a column. Since finished spreadsheets are stored on Google's Web servers, users can access them from any computer running Firefox or Internet Explorer, and share the documents with specified collaborators simply by sending invitations to their e-mail addresses.
But, unlike Microsoft Excel, Google Spreadsheets can't create charts and graphs, and it lacks some of Excel's mathematical capabilities, such as array multiplication. "It's not an Excel killer," writes Computerworld columnist Richard Ericson. "If you're a financial analyst responsible for consolidating large budget spreadsheets, you're not going to adopt Google Spreadsheets. Need a chart? Stick with Excel. Ditto for graphics (such as WordArt) or PivotTables."
Guest (Doug Bray)
What Google is giving the world.
With a $100 laptop and access to the web to use Google's office tools, a third world student has what is needed to grow to be a first world contributor. While not as robust as Open Office, Star Office, Corel or Microsofts offerings, it is a point for a very good beginning in using such tools. I don't think they want to compete with others, I think they just want to reach this population.
Guest (nah)
re:What Google is giving the world
Those hundred dollar laptops will probably never be seen, if so I'd assume there main purpose would be clicking for dollars, adding some cash to the family fortune and ripping of US based companies.
Guest (oyao)
Nothing wrong with the Google throwing out this piece of online application. That must be some people might suit this application - simple and portability.
Although Google sometimes might overuse the "Beta" label but there are many nice online application invented by them such as Google Map even Google Mail.
At least they hav a good try that in my mind and i expected that they will finally come out something more promising.
Guest (GG)
what goes up, will come down - it's about time people realize Google is not the center of the universe.
Guest (Archie)
I can confidently state that I know of no-one who thinks Google is the centre of the universe. What's wrong, can you not understand Google Calendar or something?
Guest (Dave Katz)
Aw Gee, now they're only batting 999
To paraphrase Twain, "The news of Google's death is greatly exaggerated."
Every tech company is going to fail occassionally. As one of my colleagues says, "If I don't fall down once in a while, I not skiing on hard enough runs."
Just 'cuz they didn't hit this one out of the park is no reason to start writing the obit!
Guest (Seeker)
I don't understand why analysts are bashing Google for spreadsheets online. It's clearly not for financial analysts. But it is for people who need basic spreadsheeting occasionally, and for sharing/collaboration. Was Micro$oft providing this? I use it for sharing expenses, trip plans, phone number lists with friends and family and letting various people co-author such docs. This is much easier than uploading html docs to a service provider.
OK so fine, Google strategy is unclear and for that reason maybe this release is not that exciting. But no reason to bash the effort for lack of functionality etc.
Guest (E P)
This is just one more component of a strategy to enable people to be less attached to a particular computer. All you will need is a web browser and your login and you will have all your mail and docs and apps. It's not critical mass, yet, but for many people they will no longer care about MS vs Apple vs Linux and their hard drive running out of space, just give them a browser and a keyboard and they can do what they need to do. This will be a whole lot of people.
Guest (R.Nguyen)
Google is putting out second class product so there is nothing to brag or hype about....
Nobody would buy this kind of product. While being enticed to use it while it's free, there are other spreadsheet that are also free and works much better.
Come on --- grow up guys....
Guest (Marc)
Spreadsheets' big technical gaping hole
There is a big technical gaping hole in Google Spreadsheets and Writely, which is, namely, the lack of synchronization in real-time concurrent editing scenarios, which can easily lead to a brilliant mess. I've put up a detailed discussion at: http://evolvingtrends.wordpress.com
Marc
Guest (Matthew Stibbe)
What's missing from Google Spreadsheets
I posted my first hands-on impressions of Google Spreadsheets here: http://www.badlanguage.net/?p=154. I discuss some of the implications but after a couple of days' thought I realised that online spreadsheets were missing a couple of features that could turn them from a performing-monkey replica of something that already exists into a genuine web application. In brief 1) cell level protection, 2) built-in online search formulas (e.g. =stock_price("AMZN") and 3) most important, the ability to embed spreadsheets youTUBE style in other web pages. For more details see: http://www.badlanguage.net/?p=158
Guest (Dave)
Google spreadsheets are shared. Two or more users can edit the same spreadsheet at the same time working on different columns,etc. without having to send the file back and forth with the obligatory "you have the master. I'll wait until you update your stuff, then send it back to me". Google Spreadsheets easily introduce this killer feature in a way that is not trivil for Microsoft to match in the near term. In my mind, this is the key innovation that will drive adoption of Google Spreadsheets and provide significant first mover advantage. You will hear things like "I'll just make a Google Spreadsheet, then we can all edit it." Single source of data - publically available - version controlled editing. These are the advantages of a web app over a single file (.xls) that gets stuck on a user's hard drive or is passed back and forth with dubious version and authorship control.
Guest (ARM)
IMHO it's important to really look at the big picture here - Google is beginning to provide many necessary computing services to its users from a single point of presence - web search, email, office application suite, website creator, storage space, calendar (and eventually more PIM services), etc.
Rather than being tied down to a desktop machines, if Google manages to provide these services over mobile devices (laptops, pdas, phones) like gmail, it will reorganize the way we work. Mobility and collaboration will become more commonplace and a networked data storage area will allow users to access common services from across multiple platforms easily.
While Google Spreadsheets may not be the spark that lights the candle, I think we can already see the light at the end of the tunnel... so to speak.
Guest (Mat Ripley)
It is a spreadsheet. I have been using it since day 1, and love it, as much as you can love a beefed up calculator.
Saying "it doesn't have graphs" is fair, but its not even a beta really. Its buggy and feature impoverished right now.
Its not about what it is, its about what it will be.
People who get aroused by spreadsheets? Who needs 'em.
Mat Ripley my Blog www.salted.net
Guest (b)
from my observations, google doesn't just release a product and stop adding features. the beauty of google is that they release a base set of capabilities--get the product out the door--and then add more features in subsequent releases. if you are a user of gmail, you will have observed this development approach.
Guest (Martin G. Smith)
I actually have never used Google and became less inclined to when it became a Verb. There are actually a few engines out there that are better, [http://alltheweb.com] is the one I use regularly. It was originally developed by FAST [http://www.fastsearch.com/]as a research miner and is now a stand alone service under the Yahoo Banner. I will now probably get spiked by a bunch of Googlians.
Kind of makes me think of this:
[http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/type1620.html#andersen]
Guest (Melody)
The inability to easily access information anywhere anytime is the big drawback with Microsoft's apps right now. Even with third party synching programs like Plaxo, you can't see what messages you sent from Outlook on your computer back at the office, usually. With Google all of that is available, but you can't sync it with your PDA. Once they provide that link, Outlook is outta here. The Spreadsheet is terrific--collaboration with simple things like a status list "subject, assigned to, status" can FINALLY be done somewhere. That's all we in project management have needed forever. The ability to view prior versions or indicate changes is pretty necessary, too, however. I haven't looked hard, but don't see that here yet.
Guest (Rod)
If you want a free really good spread sheet, in fact a great office packet. go to openoffice.org and download the free software from Sun Microsystems, it's great, to hell with GOOGLE.
Guest (Frank)
I am a power user. I have been using MS Excel since it came out on the Mac around 20 years ago. 1/10 of 1% of the users need more functionality than Google Spreadsheets. Even I do not need more functionality. The only thing I would want is the pivot tables. They will come out with the other items eventually. People need not be shortsighted.
Guest (Frank)
After a while, it would be nice if Google could put it all together in a nice box to put behind a corporate firewall for enterprise use. Just look at all of the secretaries and clerks and engineers (at my office) that only use MS Office for the integration with email. Waste of corporate dollars.
Guest (Theodor)
Manufacturing in the United States is in trouble. That's bad news not just for the country's economy but for the future of innovation.
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Guest (Bob Calder)
self centered reviewers
It's too bad computer industry reviews are so individual centric. Did somebody actually think a financial analyst would use it? If this was an auto magazine that was reviewing a new family van, you wouldn't ask Jeff Green to take it out on the track!
Think about licensing costs for a large user base that doesn't need anything complex. Maybe they just take stuff out of a database and put it in a spreadsheet so they can send it to clients. This application is about everybody except power users. This application is about sharing.
Google wouldn't have come up with it if they didn't sense pain somewhere. Go get your grandma and tell her to open the spreadsheet the stock broker sent her that she couldn't open because he uses a different version of Excel (which she thinks is a sports drink.)
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Guest (Gerhard Diedericks)
Missing the point
Often tech reviewers fall in the trap of writing form the standpoint of being highly tech literate and lose touch with the tech needs of the masses. Consider how many home/school users of MS Office use 1/10 of the full version of Excel that they received with their purchase. What Google is doing is commoditising Excel, providing basic spreadsheet functionality for those who have basic needs – and that in my book is a good thing.
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Guest (ashok pai)
google is far from boring
picasa web is the new thing in. everyday now and then they get something out - something useful to improve & simplify things for the masses. so is that boring ? far fro it. there might be scores of people, who require the spreadhseet on the go. nothind better than a centralised contact book, excel sheet, mail, IM, and the what google has on offer - the other stuff in one google account. as of now - they are far from boring
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