What do you think?
Rate this book
Digital Wars สงครามดิจิทัล
แอปเปิ้ล กูเกิล และไมโครซอฟต์ได้ใช้พื้นที่ของโลกดิจิทัลร่วมกันเป็นครั้งแรก เมื่อปี 1998 ทั้งสามบริษัทที่แตกต่างกันโดยสิ้นเชิงนี้ได้ขบเคี่ยวแข่งขันกันมาอย่างต่อเนื่อง เพื่อควบคุมพื้นที่แต่ละส่วนของโลกดิจิทัล โดยไม่ตระหนักเลยว่า ภายหลังจะต้องรบกันในสงครามที่เปลี่ยนโฉมหน้าของโลกไปตลอดกาล
380 pages
First published March 3, 2012
31 people are currently reading
680 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
December 9, 2022
Kitabın kapağında yazan dünya markası firmaların ve arada Nokia, Dell, Facebook vb büyük markaların iç yüzünü, birbirleriyle bağlarını ve yarışını öğrenmek adına kesinlikle okunması gereken bir kitap.
June 1, 2015
The subtitle could have been "and how Microsoft stood still while Google and Apple moved ahead". It doesn't matter that the book is three years old. The story is still the same.
October 31, 2017
Whenever I read science books, I feel like I at least have some basic understandings of the topic, but with this book, I ventured into an unfamiliar territory: digital technology. "Digital Wars" is about the history and the interconnectedness of Apple, Google and Microsoft: the biggest tech-companies today.
I didn't extract as much information as I wanted from this book, but what it showed me is that everything in technology is connected one way or another, the competitions between those companies will result in more advanced devices, and no new innovation will either make one stand still or go backwards compared to others (I'm looking at you, Microsoft).
I didn't extract as much information as I wanted from this book, but what it showed me is that everything in technology is connected one way or another, the competitions between those companies will result in more advanced devices, and no new innovation will either make one stand still or go backwards compared to others (I'm looking at you, Microsoft).
September 9, 2023
This was required reading for a course at WGU, and as far as textbooks go, it's certainly the most interesting one I've been forced to read. I read the 2nd edition, but I couldn't find it on Goodreads and didn't feel like adding it.
The book provided a more in-depth look at the 3 tech giants than I had seen before and added a lot of details to things I had only learned in passing. For example, Google talked about the hacking by a government in its "Hacking Google" series, but this further explained the political backdrop behind that hacking.
I grew up (high school and college) during the events covered, so it was also interesting to dip back into my experiences at the time and see how the happenings at these companies affected our choices. Very nostalgic!
I, for instance, remember having my Razr phone in 2007, the Slithr in 2008, and a BlackBerry until I graduated university in 2012. Thereafter, I only had Android phones and tablets. Both my iPods broke due to "rare manufacturing errors" and I consequently grew to dislike Apple and became a big Google fan. The "free" and hippie-ish culture that fueled Google was what caught my attention, like the time Google sponsored free Internet at airports around the world because it said access to the Internet should be a human right (the book didn't mention this, but I vividly remember these days!)
Overall, the book was intriguing and well-written. The "Smartphones" chapter seemed to go on forever and I was really getting burned out on that. But the China chapter had me wide awake again and ready to learn more. Very much appreciated that the chapters got shorter toward the end because I was dead set on finishing this before going to bed. 😅
The book provided a more in-depth look at the 3 tech giants than I had seen before and added a lot of details to things I had only learned in passing. For example, Google talked about the hacking by a government in its "Hacking Google" series, but this further explained the political backdrop behind that hacking.
I grew up (high school and college) during the events covered, so it was also interesting to dip back into my experiences at the time and see how the happenings at these companies affected our choices. Very nostalgic!
I, for instance, remember having my Razr phone in 2007, the Slithr in 2008, and a BlackBerry until I graduated university in 2012. Thereafter, I only had Android phones and tablets. Both my iPods broke due to "rare manufacturing errors" and I consequently grew to dislike Apple and became a big Google fan. The "free" and hippie-ish culture that fueled Google was what caught my attention, like the time Google sponsored free Internet at airports around the world because it said access to the Internet should be a human right (the book didn't mention this, but I vividly remember these days!)
Overall, the book was intriguing and well-written. The "Smartphones" chapter seemed to go on forever and I was really getting burned out on that. But the China chapter had me wide awake again and ready to learn more. Very much appreciated that the chapters got shorter toward the end because I was dead set on finishing this before going to bed. 😅
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 5, 2018
Interesting, informative, and relevant to observers of modern progress and consumers in modern society. The narrative takes us through operating systems, personal computing, search, music, mobile phones, and tablets, while giving the play-by-play of the moves and counter moves of Apple, Google, and Microsoft.
The story of course is not finished, as the final chapter wraps up with no epilogue hinting at home-centered computing (e.g. Alexa, Google Home, etc.) or the next frontiers in emerging interaction platforms (AR, VR, wearable, bionics, etc.)
Recommended for anyone who wishes to be an informed observer of the march of progress relative to consumer technology, and who wishes to see how, despite its tremendous and profitable successes, Microsoft managed to be too little, too late, time and time again.
The story of course is not finished, as the final chapter wraps up with no epilogue hinting at home-centered computing (e.g. Alexa, Google Home, etc.) or the next frontiers in emerging interaction platforms (AR, VR, wearable, bionics, etc.)
Recommended for anyone who wishes to be an informed observer of the march of progress relative to consumer technology, and who wishes to see how, despite its tremendous and profitable successes, Microsoft managed to be too little, too late, time and time again.
March 31, 2023
Digital Wars frames itself as equally investigating the territorial disputes between Apple, Google, and Microsoft across the digital realm. However, this book is far more focused on Microsoft than the other two, leading to some structural issues.
Comparing Microsoft's misfortunes across, most notably, the world of search (Google vs. Bing) and mobile/tablet architecture (Windows Phone vs. iPhone & Android handsets), you do get a clear sense of help how management allowed the company to transform from a dominant bloodhound to the stagnant runner-up (I'm looking at you Steve Balmer).
Where the book easily loses a star is how Google disappears from the narrative in considerable chunks. Google's efforts against Apple in the 'smartphone war' is definitely something that could've been elaborated on more.
Otherwise, an entertaining read!
Comparing Microsoft's misfortunes across, most notably, the world of search (Google vs. Bing) and mobile/tablet architecture (Windows Phone vs. iPhone & Android handsets), you do get a clear sense of help how management allowed the company to transform from a dominant bloodhound to the stagnant runner-up (I'm looking at you Steve Balmer).
Where the book easily loses a star is how Google disappears from the narrative in considerable chunks. Google's efforts against Apple in the 'smartphone war' is definitely something that could've been elaborated on more.
Otherwise, an entertaining read!
January 3, 2018
Great, fast paced, easy book on how these companies compete with one another in early days. It does explain fairly well why these companies behave like they do, eg Microsoft was negatively influenced by the anti-trust issue ... The author included a lot of quotes from industry insiders and ex-employees, which is great. I find the book insightful. The only downside is that it's fairly outdated. It came out in 2014 while these battles were more or less settled in the current form.
January 16, 2018
Very factual and Not lot of insight but still a good read for who likes to learn the history of the Big companies in tech and the industry developed over the year as they aimed to achieve their internal goals.
August 17, 2018
Üç büyük şirketin 2012 yılına kadar tarihini çeşitli alanlarda anlatan güzel bir kitap. Özellikle akıllı telefonlar üstünde uzunca durulmuş. Kitaptan sonra teknolojini bu üç devinin bakış açısı ve çalışma mantığını daha yakından anlaşılıyor.
August 31, 2018
Before reading this book, ı did not how terrifying competition is between the companies.I strongly recommend to be read.
December 5, 2018
Amazing innovation from these three companies. Good read!
November 23, 2020
Informative, but wow was it boring. Included a lot of details I didn't personally care about, but that others may find interesting.
December 25, 2021
Nothing ground-breaking if you have been following news about these companies.
March 2, 2022
- A lot of information about the 3 big companies and the competition between them
- Interesting and attractive if you are a person interested in technology
-But it's fairly outdated
- Interesting and attractive if you are a person interested in technology
-But it's fairly outdated
May 23, 2020
Rating:3.5
March 21, 2013
The last couple of decades, and the more recent years in particular, have seen a remarkable advances and achievements in all fields of consumer technology. Hardly a day passes without a news article about some new breakout gadget, website, or software being launched. The struggle in the market for the hearts and minds of the increasingly tech-savvy and interconnected users is assuming, with only a slight exaggeration, epic proportions. At stake are not only new markets and new product opportunities, but the very nature of how we live, work and interact with each other. And yet, at the core of these “digital wars” are just a handful of companies that exert an oversize influence on the rest of the tech sector. Three of these – Apple, Google, and Microsoft – have by now become the defining and dominant players, and this book explores their rise over the past fifteen years (or in the case of Microsoft a gradual decline and struggle for relevance).
There have been many books written about each one of these three tech giants, but this is the first one that I know of which explores their interactions and strategic maneuvers with the respect to the others. The book is written in a very accessible journalistic style, but it still manages to go in depth when needed explaining certain relevant technological terms and concepts. The author clearly understands the relevant technological trends and the ways that these companies have managed to capitalize on those – or not. Although I am a huge fan of technology and follow these companies and their products much more closely than the average person, this book was still able to provide me with a lot of new information and insights.
I would have liked, thought, that in addition to the three giants this book covered a few more “minor” players in the tech arena. Amazon and Facebook in particular come to mind, as well as a host of other interesting companies whose products and services are having a major impact on the way I work, interact and amuse myself – Twitter, LinkedIn, Yahoo, Netflix, etc. I would have also liked that instead of focusing on companies this book dealt more with the tech trends in their own right. Granted, many of these trends are single-handedly defined (or used to be defined) by the three profiled companies (search and Google, smartphone and Apple), but I think that the broader approach would have been more informative and provided us with an idea of what we can expect in the next decade or so of high-tech innovation.
Weather you are a seasoned tech-aficionado or just someone who is interested in learning more about the most prominent tech giants of today, this book will have a lot to offer. But you might want to hurry and read it very soon – many of the trends and insights from this book may become dated already a year form now, if not sooner.
There have been many books written about each one of these three tech giants, but this is the first one that I know of which explores their interactions and strategic maneuvers with the respect to the others. The book is written in a very accessible journalistic style, but it still manages to go in depth when needed explaining certain relevant technological terms and concepts. The author clearly understands the relevant technological trends and the ways that these companies have managed to capitalize on those – or not. Although I am a huge fan of technology and follow these companies and their products much more closely than the average person, this book was still able to provide me with a lot of new information and insights.
I would have liked, thought, that in addition to the three giants this book covered a few more “minor” players in the tech arena. Amazon and Facebook in particular come to mind, as well as a host of other interesting companies whose products and services are having a major impact on the way I work, interact and amuse myself – Twitter, LinkedIn, Yahoo, Netflix, etc. I would have also liked that instead of focusing on companies this book dealt more with the tech trends in their own right. Granted, many of these trends are single-handedly defined (or used to be defined) by the three profiled companies (search and Google, smartphone and Apple), but I think that the broader approach would have been more informative and provided us with an idea of what we can expect in the next decade or so of high-tech innovation.
Weather you are a seasoned tech-aficionado or just someone who is interested in learning more about the most prominent tech giants of today, this book will have a lot to offer. But you might want to hurry and read it very soon – many of the trends and insights from this book may become dated already a year form now, if not sooner.
July 6, 2017
Not a bad read per se, but the whole song and dance around Apple and Jobs gets overbearing, making it clear that this is not an attempt at a neutral narrative, unlike what the title might suggest. It is basically an "Apple wins" story that narrates the trajectory of its competitors as it goes. Not an essential book by any stretch, but it can be used as one narrative to be pieced together with other sources by the reader.
July 31, 2014
So thanks to the Understanding Media by Understanding Google course that ended recently, I developed an interest in Google, Apple, and the rest of the tech giants. So I was really happy to see this book in NetGalley.
Digital Wars looks at Apple, Google and Microsoft, and how each of them have been reacting to the digital age. Microsoft established its dominance early on, but Google has overtaken it since then, and Apple has turned out to be a formidable contender.
This book goes through a quick introduction, and looks at the Microsoft antitrust case. After that, it looks at Search, Digital Music, Smartphones, Tablets and China, and compares how each of these three companies have done in each respect. So while it's not a chronological narrative, it does capture a good snapshot of how each company has performed in a given field.
I found this book to be very easy to read and extremely interesting. I haven't really considered Microsoft at all, but this book has showed me that they have been trying to regain their former dominance - although they don't seem to be succeeding in search or digital music.
As the different types of technology start to converge, what with rumors of an Apple smart watch, the debut of Google Glass, Microsoft 8, anyone with an interest in the technology market should read this book. Understanding how these companies have been acting in the past will help understand what they're doing today.
Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review.
This review was first posted at Inside the mind of a Bibliophile
Digital Wars looks at Apple, Google and Microsoft, and how each of them have been reacting to the digital age. Microsoft established its dominance early on, but Google has overtaken it since then, and Apple has turned out to be a formidable contender.
This book goes through a quick introduction, and looks at the Microsoft antitrust case. After that, it looks at Search, Digital Music, Smartphones, Tablets and China, and compares how each of these three companies have done in each respect. So while it's not a chronological narrative, it does capture a good snapshot of how each company has performed in a given field.
I found this book to be very easy to read and extremely interesting. I haven't really considered Microsoft at all, but this book has showed me that they have been trying to regain their former dominance - although they don't seem to be succeeding in search or digital music.
As the different types of technology start to converge, what with rumors of an Apple smart watch, the debut of Google Glass, Microsoft 8, anyone with an interest in the technology market should read this book. Understanding how these companies have been acting in the past will help understand what they're doing today.
Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review.
This review was first posted at Inside the mind of a Bibliophile
April 9, 2013
This has been a great experience for me as I have been associated with the Telecom/IT industry for the past 22 years of my life. The great competition between the giants Microsoft, Google and Apple is very elegantly presented in this narrative, with examples from their many wars over the years starting from the time Steve Jobs took the top job in Apple till his death. I found the chapter on the phone wars very interesting indeed with Apple's superior strategy of aligning user experience with their new product as opposed to Microsoft's reliance on their superior reputation. But I guess with Apple there could not have been any other strategy as it was the smallest player among the three. Come to think of it Google and Apple together have managed to fight off the giant Microsoft by chipping away certain businesses like search and mobile phones away from it. A lot of the success of all three companies is also due to the fact that they are based in USA, based relatively close to each other, thus sharing a common pool of resourcing and knowledge. The position of Nokia in the phone wars was also well explained. How Nokia and Sony-Ericsson missed the ride altogether, even when thy were first to patent technologies but their size worked against them by introducing red tape-ism. Size also seems to have played a huge role in Microsoft lukewarm response to Apple and Google's aggressive marketing strategies.
February 11, 2017
Deep and thorough insight in the beginnings of the digital age. Everything we use today more or less revolve around these three technological giants from the internet to search to desktop computers.
Fascinating how these three giants fought each other over different fields and how each became the dominant over the other.
You have:
Microsoft vs Apple on PC
Microsoft vs Google on search
Apple and Microsoft on digital music
Apple vs Google on mobile (and Microsoft sadly on the side)
Looking forward to Digital Wars 2020 on smart homes, artificial intelligence, drones, self driving electric cars, space exploration.
Fascinating how these three giants fought each other over different fields and how each became the dominant over the other.
You have:
Microsoft vs Apple on PC
Microsoft vs Google on search
Apple and Microsoft on digital music
Apple vs Google on mobile (and Microsoft sadly on the side)
Looking forward to Digital Wars 2020 on smart homes, artificial intelligence, drones, self driving electric cars, space exploration.
May 11, 2012
Apple, Google and Microsoft are the three companies that between them have shaped much of our digital world. This is the story of how they've fought for dominance in the key areas of Internet search, digital music and mobile devices.
Even if you're not particularly interested in technology this is a riveting tale of corporate rivalry. Arthur has met and interviewed many of the key players and therefore has an in-depth knowledge of his subject. This could easily have been a dry business volume but it's written in a very readable and accessible style. Even though you know the overall outcome you're gripped by the mechanics of how things happened.
What's particularly striking is how much personal influence has been exerted by figures such as Page, Brin, Gates, Ballmer and Jobs. And how all these companies have grown from small beginnings to multi-billion dollar enterprises.
If you've ever wondered how the digital landscape has come to look the way it does this is an essential read.
Even if you're not particularly interested in technology this is a riveting tale of corporate rivalry. Arthur has met and interviewed many of the key players and therefore has an in-depth knowledge of his subject. This could easily have been a dry business volume but it's written in a very readable and accessible style. Even though you know the overall outcome you're gripped by the mechanics of how things happened.
What's particularly striking is how much personal influence has been exerted by figures such as Page, Brin, Gates, Ballmer and Jobs. And how all these companies have grown from small beginnings to multi-billion dollar enterprises.
If you've ever wondered how the digital landscape has come to look the way it does this is an essential read.
February 12, 2017
Good! Has a nice timeline which its follows and makes it easy to see parallels between the companys and their action.
Read
July 25, 2013What's most enlightening about this book is looking at how Apple and Microsoft worked during the iPod/iPhone/iPad eras. If you want to know how, internally, Microsoft completely fumbled the ball on portable music players, phones, and then tablets (with the disastrous delay in going with Windows RT rather than trying to scale up Windows Phone), this book will show you. The chapters on search and ad revenue at the beginning of the book are frankly less interesting.
October 15, 2013
สงครามดิจิทัล สงครามที่ไม่มีผู้แพ้ ผู้ชนะอย่างเด็ดขาดในสนามใดสนามหนึ่ง ทุกบริษัทต้องอาศัยการชิงไหวชิงพริบ การปรับตัว การทำเทรนด์ ปรับเปลี่ยนองค์กร และพัฒนาบริการให้ก้าวล้ำหน้ากว่าคู่แข่งอยู่เสมอ บางครั้งก็ต้องอาศัยโชคชะตา การมองเห็นโอกาส หรือแม้แต่การสร้างโอกาสกับตลาดเกิดใหม่ถึงจะเป็นผู้ชนะ
อย่างไรก็ตาม โลกยังคงไม่หยุดหมุน การหยุดอยู่กับที่ การที่คิดว่าตัวเองเจ๋งแล้ว ดีแล้ว ไม่ใช่วิธีคิดที่ถูกต้อง ซักวันอาจจะโดนคลื่นลูกใหม่ซัดเข้าแล้วล้มแบบไม่เป็นท่าก็ได้
อย่างไรก็ตาม โลกยังคงไม่หยุดหมุน การหยุดอยู่กับที่ การที่คิดว่าตัวเองเจ๋งแล้ว ดีแล้ว ไม่ใช่วิธีคิดที่ถูกต้อง ซักวันอาจจะโดนคลื่นลูกใหม่ซัดเข้าแล้วล้มแบบไม่เป็นท่าก็ได้
January 25, 2016
I felt it was more of Microsoft bashing which i guess company really deserves after having read the book.
Not very much on Google but there is more of Microsoft and Apple.
One should read this book to know the inner working (or the work culture) of these three big companies, the thought process that each of these companies have related to products etc.
At times the book felt bit drag but overall it was good read.
Not very much on Google but there is more of Microsoft and Apple.
One should read this book to know the inner working (or the work culture) of these three big companies, the thought process that each of these companies have related to products etc.
At times the book felt bit drag but overall it was good read.
January 31, 2013
An interesting and light and easy read, BUT a very shallow look Apple, Google and Microsoft. Nothing in depth or new, for example if you have read In the Plex and the Steve Jobs biography there is not much new information here except the few pages on Microsoft. Also the book seems to be written by an avid Apple fan (I don't blame him), but it does give the book a heavy feel of bias.
March 3, 2012
A great read - really enjoyed it. I was still a student in 2001, so it was really interesting to read how some of the personalities, strategies and decisions made before then have shaped the technologies of today. Really good.
June 11, 2012
am interviewing this dude by email
and here's the resulting interview
http://sbutki.newsvine.com/_news/2012...
and here's the resulting interview
http://sbutki.newsvine.com/_news/2012...
November 9, 2012
Great book. Well written and full of detail. The only reason I give it four stars is because the book's conclusion does nothing but praise Steve Jobs and Apple. Prior to that point it is pretty unbiased though. Definitely worth reading if you are interested in how computer technology evolves.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews