Microsoft Celebrates 10 Years of Bing
- Paul Thurrott
- May 28, 2019
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Microsoft is celebrating the 10th anniversary of launching Bing as its Internet search engine. But Bing wasn’t Microsoft’s first try at this market: It previously marketed MSN Search, Windows Live Search, and Live Search before recalibrating and recasting a rebranded Bing as a “decision engine” in hopes of differentiating it from Google Search.
“Today we’re introducing a new kind of search that goes beyond traditional search engines to help you make faster, more informed decisions,” Microsoft’s Yusuf Mehdi wrote back on May 28, 2009. “It will do this by combining a great search engine (with powerful new features to improve your results for any query), more organized results, and unique tools to help you make important decisions. We think of Bing as a Decision Engine.”
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Most Internet users think of Bing as an also-ran: The service has never achieved double-digit usage share worldwide and now commands just 8.24 percent usage, compared to 75.5 percent for Google and 10.47 percent for Baidu. On mobile, Bing is nonexistent with just 0.82 percent usage share.
But Bing and the data that feeds it is still very important to Microsoft, and the software giant has parlayed this data and the insights it provides into a valuable background service that feeds the Microsoft Graph and integrates deeply with various other products and services. And for users wary of Google’s intrusive privacy violations, Bing is the key non-Chinese search engine alternative.
As for the service’s controversial name, Mr. Mehdi explained at the time that Microsoft was looking for “a brand that was as fresh and new as our approach.” It had to be short, easy to spell, and function well as an Internet address around the world. Perhaps more problematically, Bing never really evolved into a credible verb: While people often say they will Google something, using Bing in that way is usually just meant to be sarcastic.
Ah well. Happy anniversary, Bing. We’re still trying to love you.
Conversation 43 comments
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Stooks
<p>I switched to Bing when I switched to the new Edge. I forced my self to stay there and after a few weeks it works just as well for me. My use of search is not advanced so maybe there is stuff I can't do in Bing, but I would not know.</p><p><br></p><p>After what Google just did with YouTube when using the new Edge….I don't plan on using any Google services unless I have simply have too….like YouTube or Maps.</p>
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Bats
<p>Wow…. despite all the warnings from Microsoft and Thurrott.com, STILL 75% market share. </p><p><br></p><p>The fact is, nobody trusts Bing. I one time asked this paralegal to find the address of a particular expert witness so I can mail a subpoena to him. The paralegal came back to me and said he couldn't find anything. In disbelief, I googled the name of the expert witness and found the information I needed. Thinking that the paralegal wasn't doing his work, I walked up to his cubicle and brought up the issue with him. He then went ahead and showed what he did. The first thing he did wrong was bring up Internet Explorer. The fatal flaw in his workflow was that he used Bing. Not wanting to embarrass the paralegal, with is colleagues around, I gently told him that next time he needs to use Chrome and Google. That's because you just can't trust Bing, to give you answers for anything. </p><p><br></p><p>Bing as an alternative to Google Search? Heck NO. To be honest, I was surprised by this number because I thought Bing had 30% marketshare. But single digit marketshare? Dude, that's gotta tell you something. Ya know what it tells me? Microsoft isn't feeding it's graph right over 90% of the world rejects Bing.</p>
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Stooks
<blockquote><em><a href="#431108">In reply to BoItmanLives:</a></em></blockquote><p>Actually I do. For my searching Bing is just fine. I have just north of 12,000 Bing points right now. At 29,000 I will get 12 months of Xbox Live, just for doing the same thing I would on Google.</p>
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dontbe evil
<blockquote><em><a href="#431167">In reply to derekaw:</a></em></blockquote><p><br></p><p>"<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> usage share worldwide and now commands just 8.24 percent usage, compared to 75.5 percent for Google and 10.47 percent for Baidu"</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">"</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(245, 245, 245);">Bing has almost a 25% market share in the US."</span></p>
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pargon
Premium Member<p>Have used bing pretty much exclusively since it came out. Works great, especially after google made their image search so you have to visit the website. Google sure as hell doesn't give me rewards like Bing does….plus their tracking and data collection is scary. Just cashed out $65 of Bing rewards and bought some games on the xbox store :-)</p><p><br></p><p>Oh, the daily images are also something I enjoy – learn a few snippets about a new place most days in 5 seconds. </p>