Google is NOTHING like Bell Labs. Bell did real research, not research that had a ROI counter tied to it.
Google researches what makes Google money - period. If this is the current generations "hero", then we're doomed.
Google is the new Bell Labs
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Re: Google is the new Bell Labs
#12Right, Microsoft Research, IBM Research.. they really have nothing to show for. Google also has what an advertising system and a site to search things for, send/receive email and watch videos, some phones.. that's it. Everything else has been videos and PR.
True. I'll admit that there is probably a fair amount of bias because Google has a better PR department. But I doubt it's that much better than these other guys . . . I think much of the research being done is around incremental improvements, and the point is that Google seems to be dreaming much bigger and thinking much more long term.
Re: Google is the new Bell Labs
#13so things like the watson ai by IBM or MS Kinect arent groundbreaking tech?
Google does cool stuff, but saying no one else is seems pretty ignorant
Re: Google is the new Bell Labs
#14Bell Labs invented fundamental technology like the transistor and the laser. I wouldn't put Google Maps in that league. They did not invent autonomous vehicles or wearable computers, though they have made strides in commoditizing the technology.
Agreed. Bell Labs pioneered lots of essential breakthroughs in computing that we now take for granted. Google has thus far refined previously existing technologies.
Re: Google is the new Bell Labs
#15Just because Google doesn't put as much work into keeping their future ideas secret, you can't assume Apple doesn't have equally ambitious ideas. You just won't find out about then until Apple thinks it is worthy of your attention.
Re: Google is the new Bell Labs
#16I've been reading The Idea Factory by Jon Gertner recently and I feel like the parallels between the two are really striking. The advent of Google X projects, the Motorola acquisition, and all of the recent robotics acquisitions make it feel like Google is actually building the future that I've been dreaming of since I was in elementary school. I only hope that the next wave of technological innovation will be far mo…
Hope you finish it soon! The last quarter or so of that book is really great.
Re: Google is the new Bell Labs
#17Just because Google doesn't put as much work into keeping their future ideas secret, you can't assume Apple doesn't have equally ambitious ideas. You just won't find out about then until Apple thinks it is worthy of your attention.
Couldn't you say the same about any other company too?
Re: Google is the new Bell Labs
#18Uh, Apple created the Macintosh, the iPhone, and the iPad. I would give them a bit more credit for creating new industries if we're going to start comparing them to Google on that front.
I think credit is given . . . that's the past though, only so long you can rest on your laurels, and creating a snazzier phone and an app store doesn't really measure up to autonomous cars and robots in my opinion . . . its very nice don't get me wrong, but not in the same category of hard research into technologies where there isn't an obvious usecase yet, and thinking ahead 15 years.
Re: Google is the new Bell Labs
#19Just because Google doesn't put as much work into keeping their future ideas secret, you can't assume Apple doesn't have equally ambitious ideas. You just won't find out about then until Apple thinks it is worthy of your attention.
Couldn't you say the same about any other company too?
Yes
Re: Google is the new Bell Labs
#20Just because Google doesn't put as much work into keeping their future ideas secret, you can't assume Apple doesn't have equally ambitious ideas. You just won't find out about then until Apple thinks it is worthy of your attention.
Couldn't you say the same about any other company too?
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