If Microsoft can’t beat them, it bashes them

Microsoft has been on a roll lately in its sad attempt to publicly bash Google. From the "Scroogled" campaign, to "Bing It On", the company is more focused on the current king of online search than solving its own problems. Focusing on Google internally is fine enough, but is classless to do so publicly. You should never have to bash a competitor’s products to further advance your own.

With that said, Microsoft continues the desperation in the latest Bing blog entry entitled “The Grand Bargain”. Stefan Weitz, Bing senior director, explains that your information being sold to advertisers is the price paid for Google services. However, Weitz further claims Microsoft does it too but it is OK because the software giant isn't "solely an advertising-driven company". This implies that Google is strictly an advertising-driven company. While advertising is a huge source of Google’s revenue, it is not the company's sole source. Microsoft's statement is simply not true.

The blog goes on to criticize Google Play Music All Access by saying "Google’s streaming music is intended to crowd out Spotify and Pandora". I personally love Google Play Music All Access and recently wrote that Spotify and Pandora are in trouble. But, to say that Google launched the new service with the intention of harming Pandora and Spotify is not a statement that can be proven. However, even if it is true, that isn't necessarily a bad thing -- it is capitalism. Plus, let us not forget Microsoft's infamous bundling of Internet Explorer in Windows, which "crowded-out" other browsers such as Netscape and Opera and resulted in an anti-trust law case. Remember that Microsoft?

The blog then criticizes Google for tying its users to one identity. While Microsoft portrays this as a privacy negative, many users appreciate that feature for convenience. Comically, Microsoft brags that conversely, users can login to its services with both Microsoft accounts and Facebook accounts. How is Facebook integration better for a user’s privacy? That company is notorious for having complicated privacy and security options.

Microsoft, do yourself a favor and follow these adages:

• If you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all.
• People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

Photo Credit: paulista/Shutterstock