In some ways

Aug 2, 2010 08:53 GMT  ·  By

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer revealed that the Redmond company is certainly flattered that Google found some inspiration in Bing. The software giant moved away from the extremely simple home page design for search engines since the final days of Live Search, introducing background images, wallpapers that are now swapped daily. Earlier this year, Google also started allowing its users to enrich the otherwise lifeless background on the home page of its search engine with their own imagery, a move similar to Microsoft’s. At the recent Microsoft’s Financial Analyst Meeting, Ballmer noted that Google’s new approach to the home page backgrounds of its search engine hasn’t gone unnoticed in Redmond.

“I was flattered to see that our visual differentiation has been a source of concern to Google, to see them emulating us in some ways. I guess that's a form of flattery. But, you know, we're not confused. We've got a lot of work to do here. We're not confused that investors see the big price tag to get into this business and say, "What's the progress going to look like on that?" to which I tell you, last year I got up here and talked about kind of a range and a number of years that was, you know, potentially five years, kind of some pretty big investments. I've got to say I like the progress that we made. But it's going to take a lot more. We're driving hard right now, for example, in mobile. Mobile is very important to us. And really nobody's got the formula perfectly figured out,” he said.

Microsoft recently celebrated the first anniversary of Bing with the delivery of an update to the search/decision engine. The software giant has been unveiling a steady flow of upgrades, pushing Bing forward in a variety of aspects. The latest refresh is illustrative of a strong focus on entertainment related information. But Ballmer’s promise is that Microsoft is in the search race for the long run, and that Bing’s evolution will continue.

“So we're pushing ahead. I can't tell you that there's a point on the imminent horizon in which you can expect the business results to flip, but I can tell you to expect to continue to see really interesting work. We've got a lot of brand buzz. If you look at the people who use Bing today, it is a younger crowd on average than use anybody else's search engine. It's been amazing to see where the pickup and appeal has been. People have an open mind and they are moving to try a new and fresh and interesting approach to how you get things done -- not how you search; how you actually get things done and complete tasks that are important to you on the Internet,” Ballmer added.

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