Back `Browser Wars are on'
Vipin V Nair
| What's the competition shaping up like in the world of browsers? Opera Software's CEO talks to eWorld. |
Jon von Tetzchner
MICROSOFT'S Internet Explorer (IE) may be ruling the world of Internet browsers, but a number of players have started to make an earnest attempt to win a larger share of the browser market through innovative strategies.
The Norway-based Opera Software is one such company challenging IE's dominance with its Opera browser. (Another is Firefox, from Mozilla Corporation).
In this e-mail interview with eWorld, Opera's Co-Founder and CEO, Jon von Tetzchner, talks about his plans - which include a foray into India in future and more Indian language options in Opera - and his perception of the evolving world of browsers. Read on:
Why is it that now there is a lot of action in the area of Internet browsers? After the Netscape-IE fight, and the emergence of IE as virtually the default browser, things were quiet for awhile...
Obviously, our browser and Mozilla Corporation's Firefox have made the opportunity to switch very easy.
And as more security problems and usability problems are found in IE, users are more willing to embrace alternative browsers.
But the competition will get more fierce. In the next three months, we will all debut new browsers, either in Beta or for full release.
The mobile market, where we have a commanding lead, will also see substantial interest. I'd say we're actually at the very beginning of the so-called Browser Wars.
Apart from (the need for more) security, what are the other factors driving people to take a re-look at their browsers?
Security is important, as you say, but increasingly more people want options that help them browse with more convenience — to accomplish more while they are online.
We've integrated e-mail and chat directly into the browser.
We've added the ability to search Google just by typing `g' hitting the space bar, and then entering the search term right into the address bar.
We're also known for being faster and smaller than the other browsers and people like to save time and system resources.
How does the economics of browsers work? Firefox, and now yours, are free to download... Where is the money coming from?
Mozilla Corporation's Firefox and our browser both benefit from search revenues. These are deals with third-party providers such as Google, Amazon and eBay.
Allowing users to search directly in the browser not only creates revenues for browser vendors but also adds an extra convenience to the user.
Does Opera have any plans for India?
Obviously India is a fast growing market for both mobiles and desktop. We have significant business producing mobile browsers, most commonly on smartphones, but also a browser called Opera Mini that works on almost all phones. So the market excites us and we see only positive signs for the entire market in India to expand.
Our plans in India are still being fleshed out, so it may be premature to comment fully.
However, you should expect to see a stronger marketing push tailored to India. We do, after all, have the only Hindi Web browser (with Punjabi and Telugu on the way).
But we also have plans to open an office in India, though it has not been finalised yet.
As a programmer and computer scientist myself, I personally appreciate the way India has fostered a culture encouraging technology education at all levels.
And technology is more widely accepted, appreciated and understood in India than it is in many other countries.
As you may be aware, India has a strong base for software outsourcing.
Any plans to outsource development work to India?
Rather than outsourcing, we would prefer to open an office in India where Opera could employ not just development but also marketing, sales and other strategic resources.
It is a secret to no one that India has an amazing base of software engineers and developers, but we believe there is also a great deal of talent in other business functions.
We can most effectively find and recruit that talent by opening an office and not just outsourcing development work.
Going forward, how will the business of browsers evolve?
The browser wars seem hotter than they have been in several years. But it's the battles to come that will really reshape the browser industry.
During the next two to five years, browsers will become radically more pervasive than they already are.
Embedded browsers within automobiles, shopping carts, TVs, gaming consoles, etc, will bring a big change to the market.
Browsers are not just for surfing the Internet, but rather for connecting users with information.
A browser might tell you if your car is running out of gas, if you have all the items on your grocery list or when your favourite television show is playing. By embedding browsers into other devices, and bringing the power of all Web technologies into the home, we can remarkably improve - actually radically reshape — the way users easily and efficiently find the information they need.
The mobile Web will grow in importance. Studies show that the mobile market in India grows as much as 150 per cent every year.
As users turn to their phones to access the Internet, we'll be there.
But again, just as with consumer electronics and desktop computers, the browser has the potential to do much more.
On the mobile phone the browser can serve as the operating platform — launching all the applications people access, from personalising the start-up screen with news and weather, to opening calendars, storing numbers and even playing games.
As I mentioned, Opera Mini will play a big role in making sure that older mobile phones can access the full Internet.
And that leads me to my final point: accessibility.
All statistics show that Internet usage is rapidly expanding. But browsers bear responsibility for allowing all people to access this amazing resource.
Barriers such as handicap and language make the Internet less of a global resource than it could be.
We come to work everyday with the goal of eliminating those barriers.
We've incorporated speech into our browser so users can have Web pages read to them.
Our zoom function allows users with limited vision to see information on a page more clearly.
And as I noted above, we're the only professional browser company with a Hindi version, and are soon to release Punjabi and Telugu language editions.
So without a doubt we are committed to opening the Web to everyone.
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