In a way you are right, but I think this approach also provides them with leverage to hedge their bets.
The main differentiating factor in this case is their competitors are focused primarily on solving one problem, whereas Google is attempting to solve a multitude of problems in an attempt to win through convergence. That is to say, their solutions may not be as polished, but they are all in one place, presented to you in an accessible and convenient matter.
You may be proven right, it would certainly seem G+ has huge potential: everyone I know so far, and most of the reviews on the net are very positive. It will integrate into all the others google's products, and with that, google will be the king of social.
But that's not the point I tried to make. Based on the post, my opinion was that Google did not want to renew the deal with twitter (and vice versa) which is strange. They are at war already with everybody else (ms, apple, oracle, facebook) and don't need another enemy.
Microsoft uses this approach with MS Office and once things started going their way it was next to impossible for a competitor to attack any one product.
Apple, Microsoft, Facebook and Twitter and a bunch of other tiny startups against Google. I for one want plus, Android and Google search to come up on top.
Why do you feel that your world will be a better place with one company controlling and eavesdropping on every aspect of your communication and search for information?
(Yes, my question indicates a very slight amount of bias!)
Because I trust that one company more any any of the other ones. Google's corporate interests are more closely aligned with my personal interests wrt to an open Internet. Sure they have the potential to know a lot about me, but that already happens with a lot of other companies.
I used to do consulting for a company (LocatePLUS) that bought databases from different sources and then linked them. They sold this as a service to law enforcement and private investigators on a per query basis.
I've said it before and got a lot of downvotes, but one company controlling everything doesn't really pose a problem to the open web or to users privacy, but instead to other companies, to smaller startups, small entrepreneurs, free market in general, innovation, regulation...
Also, unrelated to your reply but... while I understand how people might personally like Google (or Apple, or MS, or whatever), but business is just business, shouldn't be a religion or a sport. People should see beyond the "I like that company".
In the wrong hands one company controlling too much can certainly cause problems with a lack of innovation. Given all of the things Google has been involved with I don't see that happening any time soon though. That is one other reason I like and trust Google most of all the big companies that show up here; they keep pushing the envelope. Only time will tell the impact that might have on smaller companies
I definitely see Google as a business and know that circumstances can change with a change in management or operating environment; there is no way around that though. In my opinion we can either fight big companies and hope to have the government or other large companies keep them in check or we can try to help shape the environment and support companies that further our best interests.
