My boss was discussing the differences of Microsoft, Google, and Apple today when it comes to utility for business. While Microsoft tends to be somewhat derided for people from my generation (the sometime-scorned Millenials) for their bulky software packages and security-hole-ridden Internet Explorer browser, they are an industry standard. Why? They make static products that don’t change much. Not very innovative, but exactly what a business needs. Businesses create business processes that hinge on these very programs and the staticness of those programs, and their worlds are thrown out of whack when they change drastically.

My workplace is in the process of transitioning to Google Mail, and with that has come a lot of negative feedback from users. Google and Apple share a common characteristic–making changes that benefit them that they paternalistically decide will benefit their users. However, when their users attempt to build processes based on, for example, the structure of the compose window and the available fields when composing a message, and Google changes all of that because they wanted to, our users are thrown off kilter. Apple is a business standard, and falling out of favor with some, for design-intensive professions like photography and graphic design. They’re falling out of favor with some for their emphasis on innovation–removing previously standard computing elements like optical drives in favor of slimmer design. Some changes they’ve made reduce the company’s ability to be a trustworthy ally to design professionals.

Google currently offers no active support for users, providing a feedback form and support pages and forums for users, but no contact information beyond that. They also consistently maintain the paternalistic innovation-for-the-user design motivation–at times disregarding the business needs of their users in Google Apps for Business and Google Apps for Education. It will be interesting to see if Google continues to innovate as it does currently, or if an emphasis on the business needs of larger consumers will inspire it to make changes.