Microsoft Convinces Googlers to Switch to Bing

In other news, Google convinces users to stay with them!

Install IE8 (is it still even optional?) and even if you have Google set as your default search engine, Microsoft adds Bing to the list at the #1 spot.

For most non-technical folks the IE option selections are so arcane that they just click through. But let's say that you're a geek and you tell IE that you don't want any of its options - or better yet - not to change anything and you'll decide at the end.

Bing's still been inserted into your browser no matter what only - not you have to delete it.

Set "Keep my search providers updated" - Bing comes back.

And - I think it's also delivered/set again via compatibility view updates.

Only way I have been able to stop the "Bing-creep" is to remove all traces and then select the "Do not change my search provider" option.

If it's so good - why the sneakiness?

Moreover, it feels like one of those "negative options" subscriptions - Microsoft will keep Bing in no matter what you choose unless you can figure out how to stop it.

While most Tom's readers could figure it out - ask yourself what your Mom, Dad, sister would/will do when presented with those choices.

I've gave Bing a shot, but I still prefer Google. I'm not sure if it's because I'm so use to it or because I find it more "accurate?"

Bravo Microsoft, finding 15 people out of 300 million to quit Google for 7 straight days is a feat in itself.

I'm convinced, anything MS does is glorious and perfect, we must obey and send them money just because of their perfection.
I'll keep my Linux and Google and freedom from you, MS, thank you

I like Bing alright, I'm just used to Google's UI

those ads are rather good...they just got me to try Bing. meh, it's got some cool stuff, but misses a few useful results that Google finds. I'll keep using both.

I don't think any search engine will ever dethrone Google because it's now hard-wired into society. Somehow, telling somebody to "bing it" just quite doesn't have the same impact as "google it"

@rcarlton: That's why I use Firefox. Well, one of the many reasons, but a good one.


I decided to try Bing on my own for a week but I didn't make it. It does some things as well as Google, some things not so much. I didn't really find any advantages for the way I use it but I definitely found some disadvantages. Halfway through the week I changed my homepage back to Google out of frustration since I kept having to go back there anyway.

Also, I just prefer the plain and simple look of Google.

why do I feel like they are very skilled in terms for acting???

WTF "15 is a small sample size" ?

15 PEOPLE DISQUALIFIES IT AS RESEARCH. PERIOD

You can not call 15 people "a study." It is a focus group at best, and a Microsoft picked one at that. Is there no real news to report on, or does Toms's now just rehash press releases by google, apple and MS?

People use bunghole I mean bing because when you install IE8 it uses it by default. How fare is that? Bing only got Bling but nothing else. I agree with FSXFan, Google is simple and easy loads quick with no krap. rCarlton is right about the bing-creep too! Another reason why I use FireFox!!

I use both about equally. Sometimes if I search and Google doesn't find what I'm looking for, Bing will most likely find it and vice-versa. I like both UI's, though I think Bing looks nicer. Therefore I have Bing as my home page with google in the search bar. Why does it seem like it has to be one or the other?

I'm not going to give up google for something worse!

I don't care, Google or Bing.
I just use whatever Firefox uses by default.

Search should be a protocol not a website.

Um who cares? it's like hey I'm orange, eat me. Then the other, hey I'm apple. eat me!

You know what? I'll take both and eat whatever the hell I want.

@rcarlton

Why do you care what the typical user has to search with as long as they can find their results? Do you have stock in google? If you don't it shouldn't matter to you as long as they are satisfied.

Microsoft is not even close to the only company who does this with their software. I prefer firefox, the other day I was showing a friend the benefits of the firebug addon in firefox, I knew this person preferred IE so I made sure to uncheck the default browser settings when installing firefox for them, sure enough as soon as the browser popped up we were prompted with the set as default option, which you have the specifically check don't display again before hitting no. Point is they all do it, whether it be media players, browsers, java, etc. Every company has an agenda including google. I think it's ridiculous to only fault MS for it. All company's are self serving, Google is no different.

Seriously Jane? I had assumed you graduated High School.

As one that uses IE somewhat regularly (alongside Google Chrome), a former Firefox nut, and who sets his default search provider in IE8 to Google, I have never seen it automatically switch back to Bing. It works just as well as setting your search provider in Firefox and Chrome. So I don't know what's going on there.

You can't trust a study like this. I myself switched to Bing cold turkey several months ago, but I still don't trust this study. It's like trusting a study by the tobacco industry on the health effects of smoking.

Microsoft still the same ... they won't be happy unless they have a 80% market share in search, and no one else has more than 10%. Because there is nooooo waayyy you can use more than one product, it must be just theres. Im all for competition, but microsith pisses me off in that they don't snag users because they make something good and useful. They find ways to make you use their product, like changing the default search engine in other browsers to bing without asking the user. Or only offering directxversion x in their new OS which you must purchase. Not that its better... but you MUST purchase it if you want to play new games. -_-

noottttt: i hate bing and love google.

unless google changes to worse, ill go to something else.

why does it matter? you search, so long as the results are meaningful, who cares what engine is used. Can either set it as home page, or just, you know, have google in your favourites if thats what you want to use, honestly, moist people I know who aren't pc savvy have google as a favourite and visit it when they want to search... the search box isn't as obvious as you'd expect.

For those who are having problems with Bing Creep with their browsers.

... stop using IE8. Its the same stupid crap Apple does with iTunes in which they shove in QuickTime.

I never see Bing, I use Opera 10 and is very nice - better than ever. Only 2 websites I use requires IE (grrrr) - for testing, I notice that Ie8 does stupid things... like when opening bing search results - it opens a completely different browser window! hello?? tabs!

Or when I am done with IE - it bugs me about the tabs.

With Opera - if I have 8 (whatever) tabs when I close or shutdown. When I use it again, all those tabs are there, waiting - with the back buttons (cache) functional. I also notice, with IE8 - when going to google.com - there is an ad-box for Google Chrome. With Opera, no box.

Crap! I forgot to add!

I've tried bing... didn't need it. Still google for me.

This AD "Study" is bogus as much as the lame vista Mojave ads.
Vista still sucks and I don't like it. While Win7 is based off of vista - it has fixed most of vistas issues and I use Win7 every day now.

Bing pays me through cashback when i buy things on newegg, tigerdirect, etc. (in the last month its made me $500 on the $6k i spent)so i def like that, but i still search through google. bing has web 3.0, google still uses web 2.0, but i like 2.0

The really sad part is MS thinks everybody is stupid enough to believe their advertising.

You and me both.

Firefox + Adblock is a sweet combo.

These people are idiots - they must just like the pretty pictures on the homepage. This article prompted me to try both side by side to compare, and bing doesn't find half the relevant that Google does. Bing wouldn't need the related queries on the side if it gave you good results in the first place. And I don't know what the girl was talking about when she effectively implied that finding flights is a one step process - it took some navigation to get to it, and it doesn't even list results from my favorite sites - Kayak and Orbitz. Bing is basically useless in comparison. The only thing I use it for is the Bird's Eye view in the maps section if Street View of the location isn't available in Google.

Hey there investigative reporter - chill a sec and slap on a second Thorazine patch.

No, I don't own shares in Google. Or Microsoft, or anyone else in the search space for that matter. (Do you?)

The point I was trying to make was that "Bing-creep" disrespects the owner of the computer. It does so when IE8 installs Bing and then requires consumers to go in after the fact and manually remove it no matter what their initial choice during install was (unless it was Bing from the get-go.)

Microsoft knows that corporate clients won't go for this sort of weasel behavior. Enterprise customers deploying via IEK8 get what they want, the first time.

I've noticed mainly because I end up helping out my family members and friends with their computers (like a lot of people here) - and eventually I recognized a pattern. I kept getting calls asking me what "Bing" was and how/why it got on their PCs and how to get Google (or Yahoo) back.

I still stand by my initial point - great products should show some integrity and be best-in-class not just in what they do, but how they do it.

Are there anyone else that feels like a lot of the "quotes" in this clip is quite "canned"?

Sounds very much like they have been on a 1 week training (brainwashing) camp on how to use bing with optimal suggestions on what to search for.