A few weeks ago, Cringely wrote about the trailers filled with processors Google is planning on assembling around the country. Now, he takes on what Google may be using them for. It may be a crock or it may be for real, but it’s the game that’s sweeping the nation: What Will Google Do Next?

A Commercial Runs Through It
Google is going to let the telco and cable companies burn their capital building out IP-TV, knowing that Google will still be the only game in town for the crux of the whole thing: the ability to show every viewer the specific ads that companies will pay the most to show him at that specific moment. What Google wants to do with these trailers is SERVE EVERY TV COMMERCIAL ON THE PLANET because only they will be able to do it efficiently. Only they will have the database that converts those IP addresses into sales leads, only they will have the servers and disk space close enough to the viewers to feed the ads. Only Google will have the chops to run a constant, real-time auction for the next ad every consumer is about to see, and then serve that ad at the moment the program goes to commercial.