Found an interesting chart on the “Big 3″ search engine’s (Google, Yahoo, and MSN) market share in the US, Canada, and France. The original source is from market SEO & Web Marketing News.

Search Engine Position has an interesting article on where these “Big 3″ will be heading in the future.

They say concerning Microsoft:

We already know that Microsoft plans to integrate Desktop and Web search into a unified product as early as next month. Although the full power of such a search tool won’t likely be realized until the eventual release of Longhorn, it will still be an impressive product out of the gate.

If Microsoft plays their cards right, the integrated solution can be a help and not a hindrance to it’s users. After all, most users won’t want to see another “Clippy”.

Concerning Google:

Google, on the other hand is trying to move more of the desktop to the web. It does this by giving its users free applications to download and use, and then figuring out how to make money on these applications afterwards.

Concerning Yahoo!:

Yahoo! on the other hand has obviously taken a different slant on the web. Rather than relying on search to drive traffic, they are positioning themselves to be the media portal of the web.

I think we’re in for some interesting times over the next few months and years. Having an effective internet ministry will have a bearing on what these “Big 3″ do. Stay tuned…