Reading David’s pieces always brings a fresh perspective. This one is no different.

The sector has never seen a company like Google for using its wealth to pursue opportunity outside of its core markets . From YouTube to Android , from DoubleClick to Aardvark , from Google Earth to Google Energy , the company sometimes seems to be restlessly evading its destiny while remaining 98% tied to advertising for its revenues .

For its destiny is surely now reasonably clear . There will be a decline in search as an apps orientated world moves more fundamentally towards solutions . Already Google is feeling some of this , as well as the continuing movement of advertising markets away from the traditional way of contextualization. There will be continuing pressure within solutions created for professional and business services for search to be customized to need , and good enough for active purposes ( which may be better or more targeted or more rigorously selective or more representative of niche user groups than public search environments ) .

via David Worlock | Paradigm Lost