Digital Wars: Apple, Google, Microsoft and the Battle for the Internet - Softcover

Arthur, Charles

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0749472030 ISBN 13: 9780749472030

Publisher: Kogan Page, 2014

Synopsis

 The first time that Apple, Google and Microsoft found themselves sharing the same digital space was 1998. They were radically different companies that would subsequently fight a series of battles for control of different parts of the digital landscape that would be world-changing.

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.  To win their battles: Apple used design 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 move into new markets; Google focused on being quick, efficient and using the power of data analysis to make decisions and get ahead of would-be rivals.  Accessible and comprehensive, Digital Wars analyzes the very different cultures of the three companies and assesses exactly who are the victors on each front.

The new edition is completely up-to-date to take into account receent developments such as the growth of Android, mini-tablets and Microsoft's Surface. It also includes a new chapter looking at how China moved from being the assembly plant for iPods and other music players, and smartphones, to becoming the world's biggest smartphone business -- while shutting out Google both as a search engine and smartphone provider.

About this title

About the Author:

Charles Arthur is the technology editor at the Guardian newspaper. An experienced journalist, he has over 25 years' experience in technology and science journalism. He has met many of the senior figures in the technology industry and has extensive experience of reporting on the activities of Apple, Google and Microsoft. He has interviewed Bill Gates and Steve Jobs on numerous occasions, and he has a large following and regularly speaks, writes and blogs on all topics relating to technology. 

Review:

"[A] revealing account of Apple, Google and Microsoft’s battles for dominance in search, digital music and smartphones." (Robert Skinner Ertblog)

"[T]races the digital wars between Apple, Google, and Microsoft since 1998 related to antitrust, search engines, digital music, smartphones, and tablets. This edition incorporates information on recent developments and competitors like Samsung and a new chapter on how China has become one of the world's biggest smartphone producers." (Book News Inc.)

"[E]asy to read and extremely interesting." (Inside the Mind of a Bibliophile blog)

"[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." (Barry Silverstein ForeWord Reviews)

"[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)

"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 Inc.)

"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)

"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] 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)

"[A] great read, written in a concise, clear and engaging style." (Tim Anderson ITWriting)

About this edition

• Publisher: Kogan Page
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0749472030
• ISBN 13: 9780749472030
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 344