Microsoft plots superpowered Bing app to break the dominance of Apple and Google
Microsoft unceremoniously flopped out of the mobile ecosystem wars in late 2019 with the death ofWindows Mobile. The company has tried to make up for it by offering its services on the platforms it tried to compete against while also embracinga number of integrations with Android.Still, it seems the company has ambitions to give customers of Apple and Google another compelling choice for online search, shopping, payments, and a lot more. Microsoft could do so by turning to a strategy that’s seen success in Asia.
Sources tellThe Information(viaReuters) that the company has considered plans to build a “super app” that would push Microsoft’sBingbrand to the forefront while encompassing its other nameplates including Teams and Outlook for productivity as well as more consumer-focused services. CEO Satya Nadella has previously noted his expectations for increased revenue at Bing.
The super app concept is popular in China with vertically-integrated internet businesses like Alibaba, Baidu, Tencent — best known for WeChat. Such apps allow users to use their government IDs and travel passes, order goods as well as food for delivery in minutes, send messages to contacts, and a whole lot more. South Korea has a similar app calledKakaoTalk, which, despite its name, also handles payments and many other information services. Both see massive use across their respective societies and, thus, massive profit.
Elon Musk has occasionally brought up the concept of an “X” super app and suggested thathis purchase of Twitterwould be a centerpiece of his strategy.
Whether Microsoft goes through with a Bing-powered super app is yet to be seen, but with the state of US mobile app ecosystems dominated by two major gatekeepers who are at liberty to federate the spectrum of consumer services they offer as different apps and websites, most of the company’s challenge would come post-publication.
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