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February 19, 2009 10:43 PM PST

What's that snow leopard doing on Microsoft's Live Search?

by Ina Fried
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There's a Snow Leopard on Live Search for sure. But could Live Search be inside Snow Leopard?

(Credit: Ina Fried/CNET Networks)

Those of us with too much bandwidth and too little life (yours truly included) are wondering just why Microsoft chose to make a snow leopard the backdrop photo on Live Search on Thursday.

Even though Microsoft puts a new picture on the site each day, surely it hasn't exhausted all the images that are not references to competitor's products.

As TechFlash points out, the fact that Microsoft has the mascot for Apple's next operating system could be cluelessness on Microsoft's point. Or it could be hubris.

But another crazy thought crossed my mind. What if Microsoft has landed a deal to make Live Search the default in the next version of the Mac OS. For a long time now, Apple's Safari has had a Google search bar built-in. I don't know how much traffic that generates for the search giant, but it would seem to be at least as significant as some of the PC deals that Microsoft is paying good money to get.

Obvious animosities aside, mightn't a deal make sense. Microsoft has talked about needing to spend some money to boost Live Search share.

If it is the case, would Microsoft and/or Apple be crazy enough to tip their hand? It seems unlikely. But, even if that's not the reason that the Snow Leopard is there, would such a deal make sense?

During her years at CNET News, Ina Fried has changed beats several times, changed genders once, and covered both of the Pirates of Silicon Valley. These days, most of her attention is focused on Microsoft. E-mail Ina.
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Add a Comment (Log in or register) Showing 1 of 2 pages (54 Comments)
by saffroncapital February 19, 2009 11:03 PM PST
Clear and compelling evidence that you have far too much time on your hands...

Microsoft's cluelessness is the root cause of this little stuff up.
Reply to this comment
by Penguinisto February 20, 2009 6:41 AM PST
Prolly not even cluelessness - just a random image.

Now if the leopard was holding an apple in its mouth...
by tcr071 February 20, 2009 7:10 PM PST
There is a program that selects a random image from a pool of thousands. Microsoft didn't do anything to select that image it was mere chance.
by 2ndfallout February 19, 2009 11:04 PM PST
That is absolutely preposterous and a complete stretch of the imagination!
Reply to this comment
by martin1212 February 19, 2009 11:21 PM PST
It's just cluelessness on Microsoft's part. Things like background images on web pages are usually selected by marketing/design employees with minimal tech savvy. I bet if you mentioned the phrase "Apple Snow Leopard" to whoever picked this image you would get back nothing more than a blank stare.
Reply to this comment
by ckurowic February 20, 2009 6:05 AM PST
Um if it were a marketer doing it they would most definitely know what they were doing with the image, use your head. Marketing experts are just that...MARKETING EXPERTS. They know what is going on with other brands, especially competitors.
by Penguinisto February 20, 2009 8:27 AM PST
So MSFT, a company that more often than not finds itself on the wrong end of some PR goof or other, is supposedly fully aware of the means and intent of each of the zillions of images parked in their site resource folders? mm'kay...

Maybe we can ditch the tinfoil and maybe, just maybe, consider the possibility that they put it up at random because it happened to be a pretty nature image?
by martin1212 February 20, 2009 9:29 AM PST
ckurowic, I'm basing my comment on experience working in large companies. Marketing departments are not monolithic, there are separate departments for each product area, and a product that specializes in one specific niche like a search tool is not likely to be clued in to the general state of the industry and competitive information in other areas. I've seen gaffes like this many times from the marketing departments in areas I've worked on, and caught quite a few myself after they went live on the external websites. You are giving them altogether too much credit.
by Tassography February 19, 2009 11:25 PM PST
Ina you have way too much time on your hands! By this logic Microsoft would never be able to post any picture of a city (because most are now used as internal product names), I'm pretty certain you're reading way to much into what is simply a great photo!
Reply to this comment
by coryschulz February 20, 2009 12:15 AM PST
Eric Schmidt, the CEO of Google, is on the board at Apple. And Apple and Google have a great relationship. This is just a cool background image. Nothing more.
Reply to this comment
by random truth February 20, 2009 12:18 AM PST
Its just an animal. On a home page.
Reply to this comment
by Splashes February 20, 2009 1:22 AM PST
Occam's razor says cluelessness.

There are two other reasons such a deal will never happen, and they're both named Steve:

1) Steve Jobs. He's the polar opposite of everything Microsoft stands for. He's never done anything solely for the money, and money can be the only motivation for polluting the Apple brand with a Microsoft logo. Besides, Apple is currently swimming in more cash than Microsoft and Scrooge McDuck combined.

2) Steve Ballmer. He trashes and ridicules Apple as insignificant every chance he gets (even more than Jobs trashes Microsoft). For him to do a deal with Apple would be admitting that Apple is a viable player, who can bring something to Microsoft's table. He'd rather gargle glass.
Reply to this comment
by topgunb2 February 20, 2009 1:28 AM PST
"Steve jobs has never done anything solely for money" and "Apple's got more cash than Microsoft"
Are you from earth?
by SteveW928 February 20, 2009 1:49 AM PST
@ topgunb2 - I'd guess the answer is earth... since there is no evidence of life anywhere else in the universe...

Note, Splashes said 'solely for the money'.... not wouldn't make a decision based on money. Unlike Ballmer who would probably do just about anything other than say nice things about Apple for some cash.

As for the cash of both companies... read it and weep!
http://venturebeat.com/2008/10/23/microsoft-closes-the-quarter-with-less-cash-than-apple/
by Splashes February 20, 2009 2:02 AM PST
Um, I might ask the same of you.

As most people without Zune tattoos are well aware, Jobs' motivation is making great products; huge profits are the natural reward, and allow Apple to continue making great products. The fact that everyone including Microsoft is frantically trying to copy everything Apple should be your first clue that his focus is in the right place.
by Splashes February 20, 2009 2:12 AM PST
Steve, he wasn't arguing the facts. He's being intentionally dense about the combination of "Jobs' motivation isn't money" and "Apple has lots of money."

It's a well-known truism that focusing on quality will (eventually) bring profits, while focusing on profits will (eventually) destroy both quality and profits. What we're seeing now is just the first stages of Apple's ascent as reward for focusing on quality, and the first stages of Microsoft's descent as comeuppance for focusing on profits.

Dang, this is good popcorn.
by Uilleam February 20, 2009 3:56 AM PST
@Splashes, you make a great point. BTW, how's that shrine coming, did you get the autographed poster from Jobs yet. I hope so, that tent you're sleeping in outside his office is starting to look a little tattered. Wouldn't want you to get rained on. 'cough' FANBOY 'cough'
by pjhenry1216 February 20, 2009 7:17 AM PST
There's no doubt in my mind that Jobs makes decisions based solely on money. The iPhone (I have a 3G, I'm not gonna lie, I'm disappointed in it, the only advantage over the storm are third party apps which in theory, the Storm can eventually get). Why is the App Store so closed? Why is the iPhone so closed? Why are they so against making it legal to jailbreak your iPhone (not for other carriers, but for other software)? Why are they against people installing a Mac OS on their own hardware.

If Jobs doesn't care about the money, then he cares about keeping control of what you (and I guess me, since I do have the iPhone) buy with your/my own money. I'm upset with myself that I caved and purchased the iPhone considering the amount of control Apple tries to exert on its users.

Don't get me wrong. In general, its a pretty decent product. It doesn't really do any one thing that other phones can't, it just does a whole lot of them relatively well. Other phones are more focused on making fewer features work a lot better. The Storm kicks the iPhone's ass but people are upset with some of its bugs. Yet people never complain about the bugs in the iPhone. My 3G takes probably 30 seconds, maybe more to boot up. It crashes on occasion. Does anybody remember what it was like to send a text message before the first update? Or how long it took just for contacts to load on the screen? If you give the Storm the same breaks you gave Apple, Apple would be fearful of the Storm. However, they're not that scared cause nobody is willing to give anybody else the same leeway they give Apple.
by clamenza February 20, 2009 11:09 AM PST
Too many people have drunken the Apple Kool-Aid. The options back-dating scandal alone shows how Jobs is all about money. But like someone mentioned above, iPhone and others are good examples, too.

It's really hard to find any ethical top businessperson anymore. Unfortunately too many people treat brands like their tribes.
by Seaspray0 February 20, 2009 11:57 AM PST
@steveW928. No evidence of life anywhere else? Well, not exactly. They have found micro organisms inside meteors.
by CrashPad63 February 20, 2009 2:33 PM PST
Steve Jobs has never done anything in his pathetic life but promote Steve Jobs!!
by tcr071 February 20, 2009 7:17 PM PST
1. Never done anything solely for the money? Is that a joke? Why in the world would anyone start a computer business if they were interested in the monetary outcome? I would venture to say Jobs is MORE about the money than most business owners. He does have a humongous 30%+ profit margin on the products he sells.

2. Office 2008 for Mac. Really all I have to say to prove that Microsoft has no problem striking a deal with Apple. If anyone would nix a deal it would without a doubt be Apple. Microsoft has an iPhone app!
See more comment replies
by George_Marenco February 20, 2009 2:13 AM PST
It's just a nice background image on the home page. Nothing more.
Reply to this comment
by kcotham February 20, 2009 2:27 AM PST
Yeah, I think this is just a coincidence. They probably have a huge folder full of stock photos at Microsoft that they're going through.
Reply to this comment
by aMUSICsite February 20, 2009 4:28 AM PST
"But another crazy thought crossed my mind. What if Microsoft has landed a deal to make Live Search the default in the next version of the Mac OS."

What were you smoking last night?
Reply to this comment
by Perry_Clease February 20, 2009 4:31 AM PST
President Lincoln had a secretary named Kennedy. President Kennedy had a Secretary named Lincoln. Lincoln was elected in 1860, Kennedy was elected in 1960. Ballmer and Jobs both have the first name Steve. Live Search has a photo of a Snow Leopard, OSX has a photo of a forest near Redmond. There a number of such coincidences, or are they? :)
Reply to this comment
by Penguinisto February 20, 2009 8:31 AM PST
LMAO!

So how do we work in the Illuminati and/or that society club that supposedly runs the planet? A bit of eschatology would spice it up a bit too.

I mean, I usually indulge in the guilty pleasure of listening to coast-to-coast AM at night as I fall asleep, but I don't, like, believe in it or anything... heh. :)

/P
by Perry_Clease February 20, 2009 10:00 AM PST
"So how do we work in the Illuminati and/or that society club that supposedly runs the planet? A bit of eschatology would spice it up a bit too."

If you play an OSX install disk backwards you get a video of Ballmer doing the developers dance. If you play a WIndows install disk backwards you get a video of a Jobs keynote address. :)
by Dalkorian February 20, 2009 11:52 AM PST
The Illuminati designed all these "coincidences". They named both Steve's, created the two companies and set up their successes. They also appointed the appropriate Presidential secretaries and planted the images in question.

Dang, that was too easy. Next!

;-)
by Seaspray0 February 20, 2009 12:01 PM PST
I think you're on to something, Perry Clease. Let's not forget... 24 beers in a case, 24 hours in a day. It's a conspiracy, man! Now if someone could tie in the hot dogs and the hot dog buns, we've solve the mystery.
by Mr. Dee February 20, 2009 5:45 AM PST
I wouldn't blame Apple for choosing Live Search for Safari in the next release of OS X. Google search has gotten really lousy lately, its more about popularity than relevant results.
Reply to this comment
by seven7dust February 23, 2009 12:21 AM PST
wow! MS drone alert !
Do you really mean that POS known as live search !
by sanenazok February 20, 2009 5:48 AM PST
What a stupid story. A winter animal near the end of winter. Where did they come up with this? Pray tell, does Apple have all references to big cats locked up? I can't say "snow leopard" without indirectly referring to Apple? Ina, Apple isn't as important as you think it is, especially OS X. If Live.com had a picture of the iPhone on it then that would be different.
Reply to this comment
by Kev_Orng February 20, 2009 6:20 AM PST
You said Snow Leopard! That'll be 25 cents, please.
by sanenazok February 20, 2009 9:08 AM PST
I owe 50 cents since before I wrote the word I THOUGHT it as well. Two separate acts mean two fees.
by Dalkorian February 20, 2009 11:54 AM PST
Two separate acts mean MULTIPLE fees. Not only are you referencing the name of OS X 10.6, but in doing so you inherently invoke the name of OS X 10.5 as well. Those count too.

LOL.
;-)
by shinkat--2008 February 20, 2009 5:51 AM PST
Not sure about the photo connection, but she does raise an interesting point. What if MS and Apple has came to an agreement, as they have in 1997 and again in 2006 for MS Office for Mac. Apple may have agreed to the switch in exchange for additional 5 years extension to the 2006 agreement.
Reply to this comment
by jandler February 20, 2009 6:04 AM PST
Alright, let's start with some far fetch blah blah.

MS put a snow leo on the page and the whole tech sphere starts to get excited. It's over twitter, it's on cnet, blah blah blah. And then people go to live.com to check it for themselves. Traffic to live.com goes up! Maybe not so clueless after all!
Reply to this comment
by Dalkorian February 20, 2009 11:55 AM PST
Funny! That's what you do when your service is such garbage that paying people to use it doesn't even work! LOL.
by lokigoki February 20, 2009 6:11 AM PST
Ina, I really enjoy reading your column, however, I think it could be a little off this time. I just went to www.live.com and got a photo of Earth and the moon from space, do you think Windows will be powering the next TimeCapsule? ;)
Reply to this comment
by Dalkorian February 20, 2009 11:56 AM PST
No, that means Google Earth will soon be powered by M$ live search as well. LOL.
by Kev_Orng February 20, 2009 6:21 AM PST
As long as I can switch it to a proper search engine, they can do whatever they like.
Reply to this comment
by kentonr February 20, 2009 6:45 AM PST
<i>"What if Microsoft has landed a deal to make Live Search the default in the next version of the Mac OS."</i>

That, my friend, is the very definition of delusion.
Reply to this comment
by timber2005 February 20, 2009 6:46 AM PST
I could have sworn the snow leopard background has been randomly seen on Live Search for a long time. At least 6 months.
Reply to this comment
by J.G. February 20, 2009 7:43 AM PST
Y'all don't get it. Microsoft is using a picture of a snow leopard because Travis the chimp declined their offer.
Reply to this comment
by Dalkorian February 20, 2009 11:58 AM PST
Ouch! Travis is the chimp that made news recently by going on a rampage, right? Is your joke in poor taste, or just close to it?
by Seaspray0 February 20, 2009 12:04 PM PST
Travis is an apple monkey? Say it ain't so, Joe.
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About Beyond Binary

During her years at CNET News, Ina Fried has changed beats several times, changed genders once, and covered both of the Pirates of Silicon Valley. These days, most of her attention is focused on Microsoft.


Beyond Binary is a look at how technology is changing our lives and the people behind all that life-changing stuff, with an extra emphasis on that which emanates from Redmond, Wash.

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