4 Things I've Learnt About Google's View On The Future Of Search

Google UK organised an "open house" get-together yesterday which was entitled "The Science of Search : Thoughts on the Perfect Search Engine"; it turned out to be an informal presentation by Amit Singhal who joined Google back in 2000 and is one of four Google Fellows, a title bestowed upon him because of the fact that he rewrote the original Google search engine.

Although Mr Singhal spoke of his personal perspectives when it comes to search, past, present and future, one cannot ignore that he is the man in charge of Google's Search Algorithm, one which is used by tens of millions of users worldwide.

So while the presentation was a succinct & intimate description of his personal journey in the world of search, it is one which sheds some light on where Google will be heading in the next few years. Here's what I learnt during the 90 minutes presentation.

(1) MIDs are the new desktops

MIDs, a term coined by Intel and Microsoft, describe mobile internet devices, which might include smartphones, tablets and laptops, form factors which all share the fact that they are personal and mobile.

Singhal made it crystal clear that Google considers the mobile segment to be of utmost importance, so much so that Google may well be following Apple's footsteps by dedicating more resources in this area.

Ultimately, more search will be carried out by users in the future from their MIDs and just like my laptop is now my desktop, MIDs may completely replace desktops at some point in time.