Google Officially Launches PowerPoint Killer

September 18th, 2007 | Categories: launch, marketing, markets, networks, social media, strategy, trends, wikis

Google Docs logoGoogle officially launched its Microsoft PowerPoint killer. The cleverly named Presently is a very simple, slick presentation builder. The project appears to be the culmination of Google’s acquisition of Zenter earlier this year. Now, users of Google Docs can quickly and easily create a document, spreadsheet, presentation, or folder, essentially completing the office suite.

What do I think of the offering so far? Friggen sweet. I highly suggest everyone check it out. It’s a must for anyone looking to put together a stellar presentation. Here are some of the features that sold me:

  • Group-editing - numerous users can edit a given document, not just the creator.
  • Revision-viewing - the ability to view revisions allows you to revert back to previous editions.
  • One-click functionality - most features and functions are a single click away.
  • Slick, intuitive interface - all elements are well presented; this minimizes the learning curve. 
  • Web-based - presentations are saved on Google servers and can easily be accessed from anywhere with an Internet connection. 
  • Free - no money out of my pocket. 

If Google Docs really wants to make a solid impact in the ‘office’ space, it is going to have to crack the enterprise market. The company has made steps toward doing, most notably with a partnership with CapGemini last week. Nevertheless, I still think there are many doubts, hesitations, and concerns from the institutional side. Large corporations, organizations, and goverments will be difficult to penetrate, as they have historically used Microsoft. Such a dramatic change would not only present huge infrastructure changes, but it would also incur huge costs. Furthermore, education around the new system would be critical. In other words, I still think Microsoft can breathe safely for a *bit*. However, complacency will ultimately lead to failure, as we have witnessed over the years with this giant. Constant innovation is key.

[Google Presently screenshot via TechCrunch]

For more info, be sure to check out posts from Mashable and Read/WriteWeb.

2 Comments

  1. Anthony N Says:

    You know the one thing I can’t get over is the rights you give Google to reproduce, alter and publicly display your works..

    I think that any serious business would be concerned about trade secrets, projects etc etc that could/are being exposed publicly.

    For me I will not touch the service until they fix this issue.

    “You retain copyright and any other rights you already hold in Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services. By submitting, posting or displaying the content you give Google a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive licence to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services. This licence is for the sole purpose of enabling Google to display, distribute and promote the Services and may be revoked for certain Services as defined in the Additional Terms of those Services”

  2. Ross Hill Says:

    Why is it a powerpoint killer? I don’t see powerpoint just dying today. Headline might be a bit extreme, but it’s still a cool product.

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