Rivals Microsoft and Google Take Top Honors in Asia
Once again, readers voted software giant Microsoft Corp. as Asia’s overall top company. It occupies first place for the 12th consecutive survey. Microsoft placed second in the innovation category, up from eighth place the in 2006. Readers again voted Microsoft No. 1 in two of the five categories: long-term vision and financial reputation.
Canon Inc. was selected No. 1 for quality of products and services, and BMW AG was voted tops for corporate reputation.
Toyota Motor Corp., Nokia Corp., and Intel Corp. round out the overall most-admired top five.
A total of 2,477 executives and professionals participated in the survey, which was conducted last year between May 11 and July 3. On behalf of The Wall Street Journal, market-research firm Colmar Brunton polled subscribers as well as other businesspeople in 12 Asia-Pacific countries.
Quest for Innovation
Asia now plays a key part in Microsoft’s global quest for innovation. Microsoft invests $7 billion annually in research and development, and today two of Microsoft Research’s five labs are in Asia — one in Bangalore, India, and one in Beijing. “Microsoft Research Asia has also achieved many technological breakthroughs. More than 200 innovations from the Beijing lab alone have been transferred to Microsoft products, including Windows Vista, Microsoft Office 2007, Xbox and Windows Live. In addition, the Microsoft India Development Centre in Hyderabad has filed over 220 patents over the last four years,” says Mr. Umeoka.
Innovation that makes software more affordable for developing markets is another reason for Microsoft’s high profile in Asia. One example is pay-as-you-go subscription computing, something Microsoft is piloting in India. Small-business owners can subscribe to business-related services, like accounting or Web hosting; a family could subscribe to a portal that offers distance learning.
The company also has rolled out Windows Starter, a low-cost, easy-to-use, bare-bones operating system for emerging markets that Microsoft launched in Thailand in 2003 as part of a joint project with the Thai government to make personal computers more affordable. More than one million people in developing markets use PCs with Windows Starter, says Mr. Umeoka.
The Asian focus has helped propel Google up the charts in The Wall Street Journal Asia’s reader survey of Asia’s most-admired multinationals. Google grabbed the No. 1 spot in the featured category, “Innovative in Responding to Customer Needs.” It is the second survey in a row Google has held the top spot as an innovator, a category that asks readers to tell us which companies they consider best at bringing new products and services to the market as well as at employing sophisticated customer service.
The company has been especially busy in China. In July, Google invested approximately $1 million in Comsenz Inc., a provider of Bulletin Board System and social-networking software, as well as hosted services for Web sites in China. In 2007, Google bought a stake in Xunlei Network Technology Co., which offers video and game downloads in China; forged ties with popular Web portal Sina.com to jointly offer search and advertising services; and opened an research-and-development center in Shanghai, its second in China.
“We’ve been in massive growth mode in Asia,” says Sukhinder Singh Cassidy, Google’s president of Asia Pacific and Latin America Operations. “In 2005, we made a commitment to invest in a local presence.”
September 28th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
[...] Matt Marshall wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptOnce again, readers voted software giant Microsoft Corp. as Asia’s overall top company. It occupies first place for the 12th consecutive survey. Microsoft placed second in the innovation category, up from eighth place the in 2006. … [...]
October 9th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
[...] Rivals Microsoft and Google Take Top Honors in Asia Once again, readers voted software giant Microsoft Corp. as Asia’s overall top company. It occupies first place for the 12th consecutive survey. Microsoft placed second in the innovation category, up from eighth place the in 2006. Readers again voted Microsoft No. 1 in two of the five categories: long-term vision and financial reputation. Canon Inc. was selected No. 1 for quality of products and services, and BMW AG was voted tops for corporate reputation. Toyota Motor Corp., Nokia Corp., and Intel Corp. round out the overall most-admired top five. A total of 2,477 executives and professionals participated in the survey, which was conducted last year between May 11 and July 3. On behalf of The Wall Street Journal, market-research firm Colmar Brunton polled subscribers as well as other businesspeople in 12 Asia-Pacific countries. Quest for Innovation Asia now plays a key part in Microsoft’s global quest for innovation. Microsoft invests $7 billion annually in research and development, and today two of Microsoft Research’s five labs are in Asia — one in Bangalore, India, and one in Beijing. “Microsoft Research Asia has also achieved many technological breakthroughs. More than 200 innovations from the Beijing lab alone have been transferred to Microsoft products, including Windows Vista, Microsoft Office 2007, Xbox and Windows Live. In addition, the Microsoft India Development Centre in Hyderabad has filed over 220 patents over the last four years,” says Mr. Umeoka. Innovation that makes software more affordable for developing markets is another reason for Microsoft’s high profile in Asia. One example is pay-as-you-go subscription computing, something Microsoft is piloting in India. Small-business owners can subscribe to business-related services, like accounting or Web hosting; a family could subscribe to a portal that offers distance learning. The company also has rolled out Windows Starter, a low-cost, easy-to-use, bare-bones operating system for emerging markets that Microsoft launched in Thailand in 2003 as part of a joint project with the Thai government to make personal computers more affordable. More than one million people in developing markets use PCs with Windows Starter, says Mr. Umeoka. The Asian focus has helped propel Google up the charts in The Wall Street Journal Asia’s reader survey of Asia’s most-admired multinationals. Google grabbed the No. 1 spot in the featured category, “Innovative in Responding to Customer Needs.” It is the second survey in a row Google has held the top spot as an innovator, a category that asks readers to tell us which companies they consider best at bringing new products and services to the market as well as at employing sophisticated customer service. The company has been especially busy in China. In July, Google invested approximately $1 million in Comsenz Inc., a provider of Bulletin Board System and social-networking software, as well as hosted services for Web sites in China. In 2007, Google bought a stake in Xunlei Network Technology Co., which offers video and game downloads in China; forged ties with popular Web portal Sina.com to jointly offer search and advertising services; and opened an research-and-development center in Shanghai, its second in China. “We’ve been in massive growth mode in Asia,” says Sukhinder Singh Cassidy, Google’s president of Asia Pacific and Latin America Operations. “In 2005, we made a commitment to invest in a local presence.” Microsoft Talk Blog Archive Rivals Microsoft and Google Take Top Honors in Asia [...]
October 10th, 2008 at 1:26 am
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