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73% of Americans have never heard of Google Docs

downloadsquad.com — "...94 percent of US computer users have never tried a web based productivity suite. More than 20 percent say they've at least heard of Google Docs or other suites, but have still never tried them. And only 0.5 percent of users say they've replaced Microsoft Office with an online office suite."

Who dugg this? Made popular Dec 19, 2007

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  • estvir, on 12/19/2007, -7/+72I guess "Office is doomed because of online apps" is the new "Year of desktop Linux, really!"
  • petoria, on 12/19/2007, -1/+64I'm actually surprised that many people have heard of it.
  • mojaam, on 12/19/2007, -4/+51Well, there's still a hefty bunch that do know about Google suites: 27% of 301,139,947 Americans = 81,307,785.
  • EdgarVerona, on 12/19/2007, -5/+42Truthfully, I've tried Google Docs, and it wouldn't even replace Notepad for me.

    It's nice, and I'm impressed with what they did. But I'm more comfortable with using a desktop-based text editor than an online-based word processor. Desktop word processing doesn't require you to log in, doesn't require data to be retained online (or at least to sit through and upload/download process to work with offline data), loads quickly and allows you to use shortcuts/macros not as widely available in online word processing applications.

    As for me, I use Notepad at home, and WordPad if I'm feeling sassy or need some extra formatting.
  • anarchytv, on 12/19/2007, -18/+53we don't trust our data to google.
  • quomen, on 12/19/2007, -1/+29Yeah, i'm actually suprised that it was so high.
  • britblogger, on 12/19/2007, -6/+2965% of Americans don't own a passport.

    Out of the remaining 35%, almost half have never travelled outside the US.

    Go figure.
  • plizard, on 12/19/2007, -1/+18oh, something like '73% of Americans have never heard of the Bill of Rights' would have been more shocking.
  • Mononuclear, on 12/19/2007, -0/+17I don't think 27% of Americans have heard of google docs. Even among fairly tech savvy people google docs is not well known. Gmail of course is, Google Calendar not as much but still a few.. Google Analytics, Google Docs, are pretty unknown even among tech people. Few people outside web development even know what Google Analytics is.
  • chris9902, on 12/19/2007, -5/+21I still buy all my software retail. I just don't want to use online apps. They're not better because they're new. They are slow as hell, don't work if you can get the Internet (duh) and I just don't trust my files with anyone like Google.
  • Joomal, on 12/19/2007, -1/+16Google docs is good for a residential based user. But corporations should never allow data to be managed by outside online sources, period!!

    90% of the companies that we implement policies for allow the policy to state that: No data shall travel outside the company to a 3rd party without a NDA signed by the signing officers as well.

    Your company's information is vital. Having it travel to the HQ of Google through many servers in between is just stupid. Companies that outsource their email/calendar, etc using gmail to Google are just plain asking for it.

  • fkr3, on 12/19/2007, -0/+15I'm amazed as many as 0.5% have replaced desktop office suites with web based suites. Taking 6 steps backwards for the sake of shuffling 1 step forward is not a net gain.

    Open Office's web based version might be a different tune but html/css/javascript mashups were never going to be much more than a last-attempt.
  • FKnight, on 12/19/2007, -0/+14Dear Client,
    For your convenience, I've placed your sensitive network documentation and configuration information on the servers of a company that you have no business relationship, nor security agreements with.
  • passedoutghost, on 12/19/2007, -6/+20Damn those non-nerds.
  • inactive, on 12/19/2007, -1/+14just think of how few have heard of digg
  • jayhawk, on 12/19/2007, -1/+14they are a publicly traded company. EVERYTHING they do is in the interest of making more money.
  • inactive, on 12/19/2007, -1/+14It's not that I don't trust Google, I just don't trust the Internet. If it were downloadable and not browser-based, I'd be interested. I just don't want to use something that depends on an Internet connection to work. As I'm on wifi, I don't have consistent Internet access, and so I don't want to have to rely on that to keep working.
  • inactive, on 12/19/2007, -6/+17In related news, 73% of Americans have had sex in the last ten years.
  • RajAtWork, on 12/19/2007, -0/+11that is quite an accomplishment for the remaining 50%: individual person looks very-very small on those maps
  • krnldmp, on 12/19/2007, -0/+10That's because it's worthless. Most people are smart enough to use their own office suite of apps in private on their own PC. Don't wanna buy Microsoft? There's always OpenOffice.
  • Wonderama, on 12/19/2007, -3/+1266% believe Bill Gates will send you money if you forward this story to all your friends.
  • EdgarVerona, on 12/19/2007, -0/+9And a lot of techies aren't either. I've used Google Docs, and I find it substandard (and I question storing personal data like that on Google's servers). Not that it isn't a great program in its own right. They did a fantastic job of it, and IF I was to want to do word processing online I'd certainly use it.

    But when I sit down to actually write a document, I wouldn't do it on Google Docs. I want to do it offline, and not be subject to the restrictions of a given web browser (and not have my data cached on a Google server while I'm writing it... and especially not to store it).
  • wafflez, on 12/19/2007, -1/+10his grammar was fine...
  • inactive, on 12/19/2007, -1/+10..what the hell kinda pointless statistic is this?

    I don't even think 73% of Americans know what a spreadsheet even is, so why would they know about google docs?
  • nallelcm, on 12/19/2007, -1/+9not really
  • EdgarVerona, on 12/19/2007, -1/+9I send things written in notepad to MY boss all the time. Maybe your boss is just picky.

    But if it needs to be something that a customer sees, I can always use WordPad. 90% of the fancy features in any word processing application can be found in WordPad. And that's 100% free and a local application.
  • zephyrprime, on 12/19/2007, -0/+7Honestly, I don't know why anyone would even bother making a slow to use office app. Using the web as a platform for a office apps is completely counterproductive. Even if you don't want to use MS Office, why not just use Open Office which is free?
  • Charlotte_Web, on 12/19/2007, -0/+7Yeah, next time I'm sick, I'm using a Google doc.
  • Soonago, on 12/19/2007, -1/+8Fine. I will accept that.
  • vertinox, on 12/19/2007, -0/+7I bet 75% of Americans don't know whats on the bill of rights. And 90% don't know whats entailed in the first 8 articles of the constitution.
  • altgeeky1, on 12/19/2007, -0/+7Would it be shocking? I don't think more than 15% of Americans can name the first 5 rights. Heck, Bush White House insiders can't tell you the difference between a Shiite and a Sunni, or what the Bay of Pigs invasion was.
  • derek20cali, on 12/19/2007, -0/+6Buried for truth?
  • moocow1452, on 12/19/2007, -1/+7Oh thank god, I read that as the OFF button. Good thing you explained you didn't mistype it.
  • EdgarVerona, on 12/19/2007, -2/+8I agree with you wholeheartedly. I'll even take MS Notepad or DOS' Edit command over an online app for word processing.
  • montezumamike, on 12/19/2007, -0/+6I'm amazed that many people do know about it.
  • houndeyex, on 12/19/2007, -1/+6WTF is a "Bill of Rights"? Are you making ***** up?!
  • jake6730, on 12/19/2007, -0/+5Yes because in America, EVERYONE is expected to know ALL of Google's features.
  • EdgarVerona, on 12/19/2007, -0/+4In Soviet Russia, Google's features know YOU.

    ...

    No, wait... that's everywhere. D'oh.
  • mweflen, on 12/19/2007, -4/+8This is precisely why I won't use it. If the Bush administration can force telecom companies into relinquishing private data, why would they have a problem with Google? It's not as though I'm writing word docs about my assassination plans or Al Quaeda buddies, but the principle is the same. I will not put my stuff online until I know it is mine and mine alone. At least stored locally, it's harder to get at.
  • MajorHertz, on 12/19/2007, -0/+4Microsoft's Office collaboration tools work as well and without storing possibly sensitive data on someone else's servers.
  • EdgarVerona, on 12/19/2007, -0/+4Aye, that's the one thing I'd be willing to use Google Docs for. That is a great feature. But when I'm going to be the only one writing/working on it, I'd rather have it local. Especially if it's something intended to be private.
  • EdgarVerona, on 12/19/2007, -0/+3Aye, they're as fast as "an average internet site." Most people don't want that in a word processing program. They want it as fast as "an average desktop application." And to have the data local.

    Admittedly, the collaboration aspect is the only thing that I'd see myself using Google Docs for.
  • Soonago, on 12/19/2007, -0/+3Google articles on Digg always = overly paranoid dramatics. Thanks for the chuckles, you embellishing crazies.
  • valehru, on 12/19/2007, -1/+499% of my statistics are complete fabrications of my mind...
  • rreadysetno, on 12/19/2007, -0/+3Or you.
  • anillop, on 12/19/2007, -2/+5It is only a matter of time till they start placing ads based on the content of the documents you have saved . Which means they are analyzing your information and adding it to the rest of the info they have about you so they can then sell it to advertisers. Nothing is free people, money is being made somehow if it isn't at the point of sale.
  • derder89, on 12/19/2007, -0/+3HOLY ***** ALL IS LOST
  • fkr3, on 12/19/2007, -3/+6If this is the year of Linux you'd better get cracking cause there's only a week and a half left and you need to ship about a billion more boxes.
  • FreeRangeMonkey, on 12/19/2007, -0/+3Statistics 101 much?
  • Frnnkdlxx, on 12/19/2007, -2/+5You don't add in the entire popoulation of america, just the actual internet users. because about, what, 30 million of those 300 million, are babies. Anyways, I do most of my stealing and reposting of articles using google doc's. It's an amazing tool for saving and producing material easily distributable without crashing.

    Does make you look cheap as hell though.
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