Synopses & Reviews
Which of Apple, Google and Microsoft had an office with a "drawer of broken dreams" ---and what (real) objects lay inside it?
When did Microsoft have the chance to catch Google in making money from search ---and who vetoed it?
Why did Google test 40 shades of blue on its users?
How long did outside developers wait before asking to write apps for Apple's iPhone after Steve Jobs announced it?
Who said that Microsoft should have its own music player -- and why did it fail?
Digital Wars starts in 1998, when the internet and computing business was about to be upended -- by an antitrust case, a tiny startup and a former giant rebuilding itself. Arthur looks at what are now the three best-known tech companies and through the voices of former and current staff examines their different strategies to try to win the battle to control the exploding network connecting the world. Microsoft was a giant -- soon to become the highest-valued company in the world, while Apple was a minnow and Google just a startup. By February 10 2012, Apple was worth more ($462bn) than both Microsoft ($258bn) and Google ($198bn) combined.
The chance had come from tumultuous battles between the three. To win their battles:
Apple used design, the vertical model of controlling the hardware and software and a relentless focus on the customer to the exclusion of others.
Microsoft depended on the high quality of its employees' programming skills and its monopolies in software to try to move into new markets - such as search and music.
Google focused on being quick, efficient and using the power of data analysis - not human "taste" - to make decisions and get ahead of would-be rivals.
With exclusive information from interviews with current and former employees of the three companies Arthur also addresses:
- What the inventors of the hard drive used in the iPod thought it would really be used for
- How Apple transformed the smartphone market
- Which of Android or Apple forced Microsoft to abandon Windows Mobile
- What happened to Microsoft's tablet plans
Review
"It's rare to say that a business book is a page-turner. But Charles Arthur's book,
Digital Wars, is just that. ...[Arthur] does something unexpected in his book: He breathes life into these billion-dollar companies and makes them...human. …
Digital Wars does more than rehash familiar stories of these industry giants, instead focusing on overarching narratives complete with an accounting of the victories and losses of each. … If you enjoyed Walter Isaacson's biography of the late Apple CEO as a personal glimpse into the man,
Digital Wars is a must-read for a view of Jobs' doppelganger, Apple, and the other companies that waxed and waned in no small part due to his genius."
--New York Journal of Books"…[R]arely do I enjoy books as much as Charles Arthur's new Digital Wars. …Not only is this highly informative, but it is extremely well written. …He somehow manages to craft an exciting thriller out of what could have been written in a very arid and boring way. …This book is a "must read" for anyone who really wants to understand some of the changes that have taken place in the ICT industry over the last 15 years. …There is much to be learnt about the past from Digital Wars to help us shape the future." --Tim Unwin, CEO, Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation
"…I believe that history shapes the future even in the fast moving world of technology. So, if you share the same beliefs, then this this is indeed an interesting read. …I recommend it." --A. Jaokar, Open Gardens Blog
"...[A] revealing account of Apple, Google and Microsofts battles for dominance in search, digital music and smartphones." --Robert Skinner, Ertblog
From Amazon Reviewers:
"…[A] fascinating tale of genius, hard work and a bit of luck and the relationship between the three companies is something of an epic tale in itself. Even if you're not into technology, you'll still find this a great read as it's written in an accessible way. Highly recommended." --K.S. Moffat
"…[F]ascinating insight …Highly recommended - I couldn't put it down and read it over a weekend." --Janson
"Despite covering a lot of ground, the book reads quite easily. ...Arthur focused on telling the story rather than indulging in too much speculation and theorizing of his own. ...The book is a very worthwhile read for people interested in this industry. The Microsoft detail is solid, the comparisons between the three companies are interesting, and it is an entertaining read." --Greg Cox
Review
- With a new smartphone coming out every few months, the mobile industry is constantly evolving
- Full of first-hand interviews with senior figures
- Charles Arthur has a degree in electronic engineering and been a technology journalist for 25 years
- Examines new information that has come to light since Steve Jobs' death, including how he opposed the idea of apps for the iPhone for months and his threats against Eric Schmidt of Google over Android's mobile software
"[A] journalistic tale of competitive intrigue… For anyone with an interest in how our digital world has evolved, Charles Arthur's Digital Wars is required reading." --ForeWord Reviews
"Arthur traces the ups-and-downs of the companies over time and the cutthroat competition that persists today to create the next state of the art server, music device, smartphone, tablet, or something entirely new. ...Lively and informative, even non-geeks will find this story riveting." --Publishers Weekly
"It's rare to say that a business book is a page-turner. But Charles Arthur's book, Digital Wars, is just that. ...[Arthur] does something unexpected in his book: He breathes life into these billion-dollar companies and makes them...human. … Digital Wars does more than rehash familiar stories of these industry giants, instead focusing on overarching narratives complete with an accounting of the victories and losses of each. … If you enjoyed Walter Isaacson's biography of the late Apple CEO as a personal glimpse into the man, Digital Wars is a must-read for a view of Jobs' doppelganger, Apple, and the other companies that waxed and waned in no small part due to his genius." --New York Journal of Books
"Science and technology journalist Arthur (Guardian, UK) provides a summary of the big three Internet-era companies, focusing on search platforms, digital music, smartphones, and tablets. …Where many similar works such as John Battelle's The Search and Walter Isaacson's Steve Jobs focus primarily on personalities and management approaches, this work focuses more on various aspects of market economics and strategies, as well as competitive patent practices. Valuable for all readers, and a suitable addition for history of technology and business collections. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. --CHOICE, K. D. Winward, Central College
"[R]arely do I enjoy books as much as Charles Arthur's new Digital Wars. …Not only is this highly informative, but it is extremely well written. …He somehow manages to craft an exciting thriller out of what could have been written in a very arid and boring way. …This book is a "must read" for anyone who really wants to understand some of the changes that have taken place in the ICT industry over the last 15 years. …There is much to be learnt about the past from Digital Wars to help us shape the future." --Tim Unwin, CEO, Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation
"[A] great read, written in a concise, clear and engaging style." --Tim Anderson, ITWriting
"[A] definitive history of the battle for internet dominance between Microsoft, Apple and Google. … What distinguishes his book from the many volumes written about the Big Three is a passion for detail, checked and referenced facts, laced with anecdotes collected over decades of his professional writing career. There is a forensic quality to his writing that is as impressive as it is much welcomed. …There are so many lessons to be learnt from this book." --Liberate Media
"…I believe that history shapes the future even in the fast moving world of technology. So, if you share the same beliefs, then this this is indeed an interesting read. …I recommend it." --A. Jaokar, Open Gardens Blog
"[A] revealing account of Apple, Google and Microsofts battles for dominance in search, digital music and smartphones." --Robert Skinner, Ertblog
"getAbstract recommends it to students of history, technology and corporate success. And if you are reading this abstract on a tablet or phone, you will soon learn more about the myriad decisions that led to the device in your hand." --getAbstract
"[A] fine survey documenting battles over search technology, mobile music, smartphones and more, and considers how these companies embarked on campaigns that not only changed their business structures, but the nature of information as a whole." --Midwest Book Review
Synopsis
Apple, Google and Microsoft are locked in a battle to dominate the fastest growing aspect of the internet -- mobile. All three have fought each other in previous wars, and now they want to dominate search technology, cloud computing, mobile music and the smartphone market. Whoever wins will exert wide-ranging control over user data, access to content and even how we use and interact with computers.
Digital Wars assesses who will be the victor and what the implications will be for business, individuals and society. Accessible and comprehensive, the book looks at past battles, the companies' very different cultures and the way that these inform the products. Arthur also discusses the iPhone, the Android, the browser and apps battles and how Nokia and Palm were out-maneuvered.
Ideal for internet entrepreneurs, business students and engaged consumers, Digital Wars covers what to expect from the mobile internet in the next five years. Arthur speculates on which company will ultimately be in the driving seat and how this will affect all of us.
Synopsis
General readers who want to understand how the mobile internet is likely to evolve; business professionals, entrepreneurs and business students
About the Author
Charles Arthur is technology editor at the Guardian. An experienced journalist, he has also worked at the Independent and the New Scientist - all adding up to over 25 years in technology and science journalism. He has extensive experience of reporting on the activities of Apple, Google and Microsoft. Charles speaks regularly at conferences - he delivered the keynote speech at the recent Internet Conference - and he writes and blogs on all topics relating to technology.
Table of Contents
Introduction 1. 1998
Bill Gates and Microsoft
Steve Jobs and Apple
Bill Gates and Steve Jobs
Larry Page and Sergey Brin
Internet search
Capital
2. Microsoft antitrust
Steve Ballmer
The antitrust trial
The outcome of the trial
3. Search: Google versus Microsoft
The beginning of search
Google
Search and Microsoft
Bust
Link to money
Boom
Random access
Google and the public consciousness
Project Underdog
Preparing for battle
Do it yourself
Going public
Competition
Cultural differences
Microsoft's relaunched search engine
Friends
Microsoft's bid for Yahoo
Google's identity
The shadow of antitrust
Still underdog
4. Digital music: Apple versus Microsoft
The beginning of iTunes
Gizmo, Tokyo
iPod design
Marketing the new product
Meanwhile, in Redmond: Microsoft
iPods and Windows
Music, stored
Celebrity marketing
iTunes on Windows
iPod mini
The growth of iTunes Music Store
Apple and the mobile phone
Stolen!
Two-faced
iPod in the ascendant
Ecosystem: hardware and apps
Scratched!
Silence from Apple
Apple's best results
Zune
Tying Zune to the Xbox
White Christmas
Twilight
Rout or Strategy?
5. Smartphones
Mobiles and Microsoft
Android
ROKR and a hard place
iPhone, that's what
Just walk in
Disrupted
Free as in data
The drawer of broken dreams
Developers and the iPhone
Free as in lunch
Apps for all
Money in apps
Flash? Ah
Envy
The losers
Android rising
Patently
App patents
Tipping
The revolution will be handheld
6. Tablets
"Within five years"
Third category
Apple dominant
Always on
Post-PC
Grand unified theory
7. 2011
Notes
References and further reading
Acknowledgements
Trademarks