These are just some of my thoughts on the Google App Engine which was announced at the Google Fire Camp on Monday April 7, 2008.
The Google App Engine allows third party web developers to develop and run their web applications on Google services. Google has a powerful infrastructure, and making this available to third parties makes sense.
Google is all about organising content for its end users, and selling that knowledge to third parties (advertisers). This has worked very well on the PC platform (hence Google's position today), and has made its ways over the world of mobile devices as well.
Now, there are many interesting aspects of this for the PC platform and mobile devices, however what I find most interesting (and also because I am doing a presentation next week on Internet services and device platforms, where I outline the possibilities of Google setting up a web services clearing house) is the impacts this could have on Internet connected consumer electronics devices and how these devices access web services.
Envision the following scenario (this is pending on how exactly Google App Engine develops over time):
1. A web TV provider, such as Lovefilm.co.uk, AcTVila in Japan, or Amazon (Unbox) uploads their services to Google App Engine
2. Google App Engine standardises certain processes such as billing and payment (which I believe is not covered by Google yet).
3. Web application developers populate the engine
4. Consumer electronic vendors use the Appe Engine as their platform for web services instead of making individual arrangement with each and every provider. This also helps bring down the development cost of Internet connected devices
The consequences
1. Google gains access to what has so far been proprietary web services. Given that everything is hosted at Google, on standardised Google servers and databases, Google can (easily) scan and index all web applications, and how these are used by end users. These are databases of information that Google has normally not had access to. This is a huge coup for a company that lives on collecting, scanning, and indexing information.
2. Google can now sell an integrated advertising platform for web application providers. Think video downloading services or video streaming services and how Google can use its existing advertising platform to target users on the App Engine. While you download the lastest blockbuster movie, Google serves you with a movie trailer that it picks based on its knowledge of your consumption pattern.
Could it happen? Well we will see how the Google App Engine develops over time, but I would be surprised if it is not on the schedule over at Googleplex.....
