Microsoft and Google Want to Heal You: New Health Services Rumoured

The next theatre of war for Google and Microsoft might be a realm previously and popularly unassociated with information technology: healthcare and medicine.

Amidst rumors that Google is strongly considering the release of a Health search and/or service, Microsoft is apparently closing in on a constructive build of its Windows Live Healthcare.

The exact message for the Redmond-based company is still unclear, as Microsoft executives, including corporate vice president of Health Solutions Peter Neupert, remain very hush when it comes to details. (Source: microsoft-watch.com)

For months, both Microsoft and Google have faced questions regarding rumours swirling around health services. To some degree, it appeared Google had the jump when executives there began hinting to the press of a Google Health service. And yet, when pressed a few days ago for details those same bigwigs avoided any clear outline of Google's future plans in the medical world. The only official release from Google on the subject, in recent weeks at least, has been that they are experimenting with health concepts. In other words, it'll be a while. (Source: microsoft-watch.com)

Microsoft's future in healthcare should be a little more clear than that after tomorrow's announcement. In a recent release, Microsoft HQ simply outlined that "Peter (Neupert) will be discussing the company's ongoing commitment to the healthcare industry and some exciting new developments." (Source: microsoft-watch.com)

No matter what the announcement is, exactly, insiders seem certain that Microsoft is far more serious about its health service development than Google. In late August the company is holding a Microsoft User Group Technical Forum with a number of health professionals to discuss how it can implement medical services into its wide array of programs, from Office to Windows Vista. (Source: microsoft-watch.com)

Reportedly, this is another risk for Microsoft, which does not expect to see a fiscal profit from the Windows Live Healthcare service until after business year 2007.