When Google
The similarities are uncanny between Google and Microsoft at similar phases in their development. Microsoft played an integral role in making PCs universally adopted and consistent from a variety of manufacturers with Windows. Google brought the Internet to a new level with its search engine and AdSense. But with these businesses spitting off cash, and their dominant positions in place, they needed to expand into other businesses.
After destroying Netscape, Microsoft went after Google and Yahoo!
Along the way, Microsoft went from a company with amazing products for everyone to a company many of us avoid at all cost. Microsoft became so big that it needed to mimic other company's products to grow its business, and the muscle it used in the process and the uninspired products it created turn me off from the company. I'm afraid I'm seeing Google doing the same thing now.
Microsoft 2.0
It's sad to see that Google is slowly becoming the same type of company as Microsoft, and the Google Music platform was the icing on the cake in my mind. It's a rip-off of Apple's iCloud and iTunes with some minor tweaks. But this isn't really new if we think about the markets Google has tried to enter after dominating search.
Google swung at Microsoft Suite with Google Docs, it tried to copy eBay's
Microsoft repeated
This is an important parallel because Microsoft has become the butt of jokes in the tech industry despite its dominant market position. It's no longer a revered company like Apple or Google are, and I see Google heading down that same path. It's put its hands in too many pockets and hasn't created inspiring new products.
A decade from now I hope I'm not trying to avoid Google products like I do with Microsoft. A transition away from Google would be much easier, something investors should keep in mind when looking at Google.
Interested in reading more about Google? Click here to add it to My Watchlist, which will find all of our Foolish analysis on this stock.