Baidu, a leading search engine in China, has released a mobile web browser that will counter competition from Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) in the Chinese market. According to reports from Baidu.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU), the new mobile browser is expected to be 20 percent faster than most of its rivals.
Details of the new browser were released on Friday by Baidu. The browser, which is expected to compete against Apple’s Safari and Google’s Chrome, will allow users to watch video without having to source external applications from the internet. The browser also seems to embrace Google Chrome’s approach with regards to web apps.
This new release underscores Baidu’s desire to convert its web traffic into revenue. Baidu’s presumable approach with regards to the browser will be the sale of content, apps and advertisement. Baidu has made it clear that it will bolster operations and if possible extend the browser’s market across 80 percent of Chinese Android smartphones by the fall of the year.
Basing on the number of consumers that use Android in China, Baidu’s hopes are high. It may actually follow in the footsteps of Mozilla, which places most of its reliance on Google.
Jenifer Li, Baidu’s CFO, revealed that plans to set a cloud computing center were in the pipeline. She further revealed that the company would pump $1.6 billion into the project. Cloud computing is a huge income earner for search engines, and Baidu expects to glean huge returns in this market.
Interestingly, the browser alone will not generate as much revenue. The only supposable approach would be to encompass the browser in a bigger, more defined revenue generating program.
While Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) extend formidable competition, Baidu may have possible leeway. This is especially true if you consider the bubbling rivalry that has consumed Apple and Samsung, and in the process pulled Google along. The effects of the rivalry may spill beyond the American market, and affect progress in China and other potent markets.
The rivalry between Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Samsung has more to it than mere patents. Apple is killing two birds with one stone. By taking Samsung down, it also eliminates a lot of threats from Google. In fact, Apple’s recent court room victory over Samsung sent jitters across the Android market. This was clearly evident from the irregular fluctuations in HTC’s share price.
Baidu.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) therefore has a chance to squeeze its way into the mainstream market, as Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) are still caught up in neck deep rivalry and unnecessary distractions.
