Yahoo search on Acer PCs take on Dell-Google

by Stan Beer

Friday, 15 September 2006

It seems that Windows Live Search is being left out in the cold as the two search leaders Google and Yahoo form alliances to bundle their browser search toolbars and form a co-branded presence with major PC manufacturers Dell and Acer. The latest such deal sees Yahoo sign an agreement with fast growing PC maker Acer to form a co-branded browser start page and the Yahoo search toolbar on the IE7 browser.

Under the agreement, Acer will set the default search toolbar in IE7 to Yahoo search.

In addition, Yahoo, being the king of content on the web, will set up a co-branded browser start page full of links to Yahoo content and Acer services.

With two of the biggest hardware manufacturers appearing to do their best to cut Microsoft out of the picture, in collaboration with the two search leaders, Microsoft should be concerned. This is particularly the case because more such deals are likely to be struck in the future unless MIcrosoft gets in there first with its deep pockets enticing harware manufacturers to stay.

Perhaps Microsoft feels that it can afford to be complacent because it owns the desktop. However, as Google and others have demonstrated, the desktop is getting to be less relevant by the day in the wake of web services and more such deals are now likely to be done. {moscomment}

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