"We're looking forward to what AOL can help us do for you, and believe that our new agreement with them will only create a better experience for you in 2006 and beyond..."
--Marissa Mayer, Google,
Susan sez: I'm fascinated by Marissa's statement that AOL will help improve the Google consumer experience, and terrified to imagine what that might actually mean.
Update: I am probably being too subtle, so let me spell out what rings false:
a) AOL has been a Google investor and partner for many years--are they really going to do something new now they didn't do before and say it isn't preferential? Advise AOL on optimization for the first time? Naahh.
b) You get what you pay for--what is not yet clear is what Google is paying for--but this ain't the whole of it.
c) No, no, and no--when I give Marissa's post the truth test, it doesn't sound like the whole deal--it's just won't be that simple, easy and tidy-is it ever, with these two?
I saw this news article too. AOL and Google - what a scary combination!
I speculate more to this closed door deal. Especially the default homepage and browser in AOL client.
If you have noticed, Google is aggressively spending and supporting to get FireFox installed on as many clients as possible. AOLs proprietary and lousy client uses Microsofts Internet Explorer as the default engine to drive. If Dr. Eric Schmidt was careful in spelling terms of the deal, then I am sure he wouldnt have missed this clause of integrating FireFox browser in AOLs client throwing away Internet Explorer.
Latest statistics from W3Schools indicate that Non-IE browsers have a market share of 33% with FireFox leading at 19.6%. If Google replaces FireFox as the engine in AOL client, then expect FireFox to gain significantly over Microsofts IE.