Google Earth vs. Microsoft
Virtual Earth (via CNET)

In 2006, Microsoft introduced a slew of online offerings - Virtual Earth, a new portal, online video, classified ads, mobile email and social networking. And, most important, its new adCenter was expected to dramatically shake up the ad revenue status quo (from Mercury News). But things aren't looking up.

However, according to comScore Media Metrix, the total unique audience that visited Microsoft's U.S. websites in December 2006 was roughly 117 million, unchanged from the previous year. And Google is fast catching up, with its number of unique visitors up 21 percent, to 113 million.

As for pageviews, Microsoft's were down 12 percent in December, to 18 billion, according to the research firm. Google's pageviews were up 90 percent, to 13 billion.

"Google is the next Microsoft because Microsoft is the next IBM," said Stephen Arnold, a technology consultant and author of The Google Legacy. "Just as Microsoft superseded IBM, Google is superseding Microsoft."