Report: Microsoft to unveil Kumo search engine next week

Correction: This post initially linked to inaccurate April search market figures provided by Nielsen, which have since been corrected. See update below for details.

Microsoft will demonstrate its long-awaited next-generation search technology, code-named Kumo, next week at the D: All Things Digital technology conference, according to reports.

Both The Wall Street Journal and the All Things Digital blog (both owned by News Corp.) are citing unnamed sources saying Kumo will make its official public debut at the conference.

In response to an e-mail seeking confirmation of the reports, a Microsoft spokesperson said the company has nothing new to announce at this time.

For the past two months, Microsoft has been running an internal test of the search technology. However, some of the design changes that are part of that update are now in limited public testing, as one user seemed to discover last week (see screenshot below).

Kumo, a name sources say is not final, is expected to include more than just changes to the look of Microsoft's search engine. Among the expected enhancements is the inclusion of semantic search technology Microsoft got as part of last year's purchase of Powerset.

The software giant has a considerable game of catch-up to play as it has continued to trail Yahoo and Google despite years of investment. According to March numbers from Nielsen Online, Microsoft had 10.3 percent of the U.S. search market, as compared to 15.8 percent for Yahoo and 64.2 percent for Google.

Update at 2:24 p.m. Wednesday: Nielsen Online numbers for April show Microsoft having 9.9 percent of the U.S. search market, as compared to 16.3 percent for Yahoo and 64 percent for Google. (We had previously reported that the numbers for March and April were coincidentally the same, but it now appears the Nielsen report we were looking at for April had mistakenly used March figures and has since been corrected. A readers tells us Nielsen confirmed to him that the initially posted numbers were wrong.)

Staff writer Ina Fried contributed to this report.

This search result for Zune, seen on Live Search by enthusiast Ryan Rea, bears a significant resemblance to the Kumo prototype that Microsoft has been testing internally. (Click for larger version)

(Credit: Ryan Rea (aka volvoshine))

[javonyc]

looking forward to it

[Chapmaniac]

I'll give it a try - sure, why not?

[myles taylor]

The problem with search engine market share is that people go with what you're used to. It takes too much effort to change and there so far nothing compelling has come out that makes people flock permanently to a different search engine. To "google" something is to search the web for it, and it will take a lot to change that.

[Super2online]

I suppose you have never tried any new foods, never took a different route to work, or never used newer information to improve your abilities because it was to difficult for you to accomplish. Since it's so difficult for you to type in www.live.com over www.google.com you may never know if there is something better or not. Do you see how rediculous this statement is!

[tgrenier]

So you're still using webcrawler, excite, or AltaVista? I wish AltaVista was still relevant.

[myles taylor]

No but that's the problem with search. It's such a simple, basic process and making it more complicated doesn't make people want to use it more. It's not that it's difficult, it's that it's not. You don't feel like you're making a decision when you search the web. If you already have picked a search engine and like it, why change? I never type www.google.com because I have a search-bar in all my browsers. I could change it, but I'm happy with my Google results, so why bother? That's the attitude that most people are going to take.

[svgtom]

"by myles taylor May 19, 2009 8:20 PM PDT
The problem with search engine market share is that people go with what you're used to."

If that was the case I would still be using Yahoo instead of Google.

[1812dave]

Google works great--why try every other wanna-be search engine? I've got better things to do.

[Super2online]

Being so closed minded will never allow you to savor innovations that can provide you with a better user experience.

[Software_Lover]

I've used Microsoft's search engine about 4 times in my life. I doubt there will be anything that can make me switch from Google short of Google being closed down.

[Super2online]

Obviously you haven't used Live search for images and video then. The experience if far superior for both.

[magicmaster]

(1) Google's search engine yields better result
(2) Google becomes the synonym for the phrase "searching the internet"
(3) Habits stick around. Unless I got head injury, it's very difficult for me to switch to Microsoft's own search engine.
(4) Semantic search has potential, but right now Yahoo! Answer and other forums seem to do fine.

[Super2online]

No matter how you slice and dice it, the search engine that renders the most accurate result from a query will get the viewers. This opens the door to anyone if they can improve search results beyond what Google offers. Finally, improving the other search features then ices the cake.

[monkeyfun14]

Kumo will use a new engine that may be better or on par with Googles.

Kumo will also have more features.

[ramsey987]

Super2online must work for Microsoft. There are a LOT of them out there and they are worried - on a lot of fronts. And more lay-offs are on the way for them.

[CTO_Dude]

@ramsey987

You must be psychic! (or phychotic... one or the other)

[lifelonglego]

I searched with live search at school the other day and I saw that new site. i though it was the official change. I then looked on the news sites expecting to see an article but saw nothing. I went to search again, and it was gone. :(

[bored_by_ms]

Boring boring boring. The world does not need another MS copycat product. Just because they have pockets as deep as the Marianas Trench doesn't mean the market needs another one of their me-too products. Of course, as I type this, I can't help but wonder if Microsoft is busily working on clone of me that will go on CNET and post nice things about them under the name "fascinated_by_ms."