Last month, I was in Redmond, Seattle to attend a Microsoft conference. During the trip, my business partners and I decided to visit the Apple store as we wanted to check out the new iPhone and the Air Mac. The problem was we have no idea where was the flagship store in Seattle. We got into the cab and asked the cab driver to locate any Apple store. He was very helpful but was not sure. He remembered vaguely that there is an Apple store somewhere at University Village.
I punched three search words in Google on my Blackberry 8800. "Apple" "store" "seattle". Out pop the following information on my Blackberry screen:
Apple Storewww.apple.com 2656 NE University Village St Seattle, WA 98105, United States +1 206-524-8100 Get directions |
Google "knew" that when you punched in the above keywords, chances are you are looking for an Apple store and it is smart enough to anticipate you need a map too. A second click told me the opening hours of the store. Mission accomplished. We all bought quite a few items from the Apple store, thanks to Google. Otherwise we would have gotten back to our hotel, have a few glasses of wine and sleep.
It just dawned on me there and then why Google is worth billions in terms of valuation. And why Microsoft wishes to buy Yahoo. In the net age, you cant live without a smart search engine.
Harold Fock
At Microsoft Conference Centre trying to fight jet lag. The folks at Redmond WORKS HARD. Their conference assembly time is 645am!!!
At Seattle's amazing Science Fiction Museum and Experience Music Project Building (the purplish reflective structure behind me). Yes, you got it right. They devote half a Frank O. Gehry-designed building to SCI FICTION books and movies. How Geeky Sub Zero Cool can you get?
The APPLE store (It felt like "Harold and Kumar found White Castle" Burgerstore when we arrived!!!)
Comments