Goggle's back in familiar territory. The stock is trading near $500 a share, nearly doubling since plummeting with the rest of the market last December.

As you'd expect, the comeback is built on the resurgence of its search business. Colin Gillis, an analyst with Brigantine Advisors, writes in his latest research report: "The key metric for us is rising CPC (cost-per-click) showing a willingness for advertisers to pay more to reach consumers -- and an indication that clicks are translating into sales … . A combination of paid click growth and a lift in CPC is the formula that drives upside in revenue and the GOOG share price."

Speaking of share price, Gillis has a $600 price target and a buy rating on the stock.

But as Henry Blodget points out in the accompanying clip, if Google wants to grow in the next decade as fast as it did in the last, the company must find its next multibillion-dollar business.

Is the mobile platform Android the answer?

From The Business Insider, Sept. 8, 2009:

Google and Apple are on a collision course.

While the companies are not each others' biggest rivals, they are increasingly competing with each other.

This follows years of enjoying one of the coziest relationships in Silicon Valley -- one that will now get more complicated as the companies compete in more areas.

The latest: Google is developing a movie rental service for YouTube. This is a logical extension of the Web's top video site, as YouTube increases its focus on professional content. But if it happens, it will put YouTube in square competition with Apple's iTunes store, which has offered movie rentals for years.

Video rentals do not generate a huge amount of revenue for either company, so it's not a big conflict. But Google is also increasingly competing with Apple in its more important, core platform businesses.

Their most significant rivalry today is mobile phone platforms, where Google's Android phones compete with Apple's iPhones. So far, Apple has had more success, both in getting consumers to buy its phones, and in getting software companies to develop apps for its platform.

But Google has a big year ahead: It will eventually be distributed by all four major U.S. wireless carriers, while Apple is exclusive with AT&T (for now, at least). And phone manufacturers like Motorola have plans to make lots of mid-range, high-volume phones with Android. Assuming the efforts are adequate, Google could catch up significantly in the next year...

See more from The Business Insider:

• 7 Ways Google Is Trying to Kill Apple
• 10 Ways the iPhone Changed Smartphones Forever

From Silicon Alley Insider, Aug. 24, 2009:

People just won't stop buying iPhones!

As U.S. retail sales dropped 9% in the first six months of 2009, sales at Apple (AAPL) stores increased by 2.5% to $3 billion compared to the same period last year, Bloomberg reports.

The stores' performance can be credited to the iPhone, an analyst tells Bloomberg. The traffic to the Apple stores increased 22% to 38.6 million visitors in Q2 '09.

The star if the show is definitely the Apple store on Fifth Avenue in New York City. The 10,000 square-foot store has 500 employees, and it is open 24 hours, seven-days-a-week. It's annual sales are $350 million.

To put that number in perspective, consider that Microsoft Zune sales are down to below $100 million per quarter.

Read the entire Bloomberg story here.

More coverage from The Silicon Alley Insider:

• Microsoft to open retail stores near Apple
• Apple store: You can't poke in here*

Turns out the official recipe for fun and the way to create an Internet sensation are the same: Start with a megacorporation, add in a group of Germans on a hillside, liberally take advantage of slick editing software and let the power of the Web do its thing.

If you spend any time online, have a TV or know anyone who does, you've probably heard about the latest craze blasting its way through cyberspace. In case you haven't, a recap: A guy in a neoprene suit goes barreling down a waterslide, flies off the end and through the air, traveling a great distance, and splashes down in a tiny pool. It's the Megawoosh. See?

MEGAWOOSH @ Yahoo! Video

Please understand. This is a hoax. It didn't happen. Ultimately, it's an ad for Microsoft Germany. Still, it is awfully clever. Heck, some commentators out there on the Net are suggesting it could be one of the greatest fakes in the history of the World Wide Web.

One big question is whether this will help to reposition Microsoft as a force to be reckoned with in the collective mind of the world's tech-obsessed masses. For the better part of this decade to date, that's been pretty much dominated by Apple. You know, the iMac, the iPod, the iPhone, etc. What, you think those "I'm a Mac, I'm a PC" commercials just happened one day by accident?

How this excellent production came together can be boiled down to something like this -- a stuntman starts down the slide, but a rope keeps him from going too far, the thing that's airborne isn't a person, but is instead animation, and the principal character ended up in the pool by dropping off a small ramp. Piece it seamlessly together, and there you go...

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From The Business Insider, Aug. 6, 2009:

Until today, we had nothing but respect and admiration for Cisco CEO John Chambers.  Now we're wondering whether he has gone insane.

Check out Ben Worthen's description of Cisco's new senior management structure:

Mr. Chambers has replaced Cisco's top-down decision making with committees of executives from across the company. Some teams provide strategic advice and evaluate the progress of these projects. In total, Cisco now has 59 internal standing committees...

It is not uncommon for top Cisco executives to serve on 10 or more committees and spend 30% of their time dealing with the issues raised there. Cisco said as it adds more businesses, it plans to expand the number of people who participate in these meetings from 750 senior employees to about 3,000...

Mr. Chambers said part of his goal is to make employees rethink how they work and what they work on. The new management structure "makes everyone uncomfortable, including the CEO," he said.

What happens when decisions get made by committees?  They don't get made.

In late 2007...H-P started promoting a warranty for its switches that provides free upgrades and support. Under Cisco's new structure, a decision about how to respond to H-P's offering was delayed as it worked its way through multiple committees, these people said. Cisco didn't match H-P's promotion until this April [2009], and during that period Cisco's market share fell.

John says the new management structure is ...

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Read Ben's full article from the WSJ here.

More coverage from The Business Insider:

Cisco "thinking about" going up against MSFT Office and Google Apps » More

From paidContent.org, August 3, 2009:

Google CEO Eric Schmidt is leaving the Apple board after all, following months of brushing aside suggestions that increasing competition in the same areas created a conflict of interest. In a statement released before the market opened, Apple CEO Steve Jobs explained: “Unfortunately, as Google enters more of Apple’s core businesses, with Android and now Chrome OS, Eric’s effectiveness as an Apple Board member will be significantly diminished, since he will have to recuse himself from even larger portions of our meetings due to potential conflicts of interest. Therefore, we have mutually decided that now is the right time for Eric to resign his position on Apple’s Board.” Schmidt joined the board in 2006.

It’s not clear when the decision was made but the announcement comes just days after the Federal Communications Commission started an inquiry into the reasons Apple rejected a Google Voice app for the iPhone. The FCC sent letters to Apple, AT&T and Google Friday; Apple and Google are being asked to explain how they make decisions about apps for iPhone and Android respectively.

Was that the last straw? If so, it should never have to come this...

More from paidContent.org:

• Updated: SpinVox Gets Emergency Funds
• DigitalSports Youth Sports Media Site Sold to Vantage Learning

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But not all disappointments are created equal.

Amazon.com's second-quarter earnings were in line with expectations and its revenues just a bit light, and up 14% from a year-ago besides. The online retailer's shares are being punished largely because of its strength in recent months, and anticipation of blowout results after an upside surprise from eBay earlier in the week.

On the other hand, it's hard to find a silver lining in Microsoft's fiscal fourth-quarter results: EPS were 2 cents shy of expectations and its revenues fell 17% from a year-ago and missed consensus by a shocking $1.3 billion. Microsoft also completed its first year of declining sales in its history as a public company.

About the only reason Microsoft shares aren't down even more are expectations for strong rollout of Windows 7...

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Updated from 1:50 p.m. EDT

Apple reported fiscal third-quarter earnings of $1.35 per share on sales of $8.34 billion, results well ahead of consensus forecasts. Apple's guidance for the current quarter was below expectations, but that's to be expected, according to AlleyInsider.com, which is covering the firm's conference call here.

Apple shares were up more than 4.5% in recent after-hours trading.

At 10 cents per share, Tech Ticker's parent Yahoo! also beat earnings expectations but revenue slid 13% to $1.57 billion; excluding commissions paid to its advertising partners, Yahoo's revenue was $1.14 billion, matching consensus. AlleyInsider.com is covering Yahoo!'s conference call here.

Yahoo shares were down 1.5% in recent after-hours trading.

Earlier: Expectations are high for Apple when it reports June quarter results after the close Tuesday, at least judging by its stock, which has essentially doubled from its early 2009 lows.

In terms of actual exceptions, the consensus is calling for EPS of $1.16 and revenue of $8.16 billion. Based on Apple's recent history of giving lowball guidance and then posting a big upside "surprise," AlleyInsider.com says Apple will report EPS of $1.36 on $8.35 billion of revenue.

And with AppleInsider.com - citing Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster -- saying Apple is likely to announce its "best-ever June quarter for Mac sales," the bar is being set higher still for both the June quarter and guidance for the current period.

Expectations are not quite so high for Tech Ticker's parent...

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Updated from 3:38 p.m. EDT

Update: Intel reported better-than-expected results after the close on Tuesday. The chip giant reported second-quarter revenue of $8 billion, above the consensus of $7.3 billion. Excluding a one-time charge stemming from a European Commission fine, the company posted EPS of 18 cents a share, well ahead of consensus of 8 cents.

“Intel’s second-quarter results reflect improving conditions in the PC market segment with our strongest first- to second-quarter growth since 1988 and a clear expectation for a seasonally stronger second half,” president and CEO Paul Otellini said in the firm's press release.

For the current quarter, Intel forecast revenue of $8.1 billion to $8.9 billion vs. the current consensus of $7.8 billion.

Intel shares rose in the initial after-hours reaction, ahead of its conference call slated for 5:30 p.m. EDT.

Earlier:

Stocks managed only meager gains Tuesday despite blowout results from Goldman Sachs this morning.

But the press is paying too much attention to Goldman and the financials generally, says Vinny Catalano, president and global investment strategist with Blue Marble Research, who says Intel's post-close results are more important.

While not diminishing the importance of the financials, Catalano's point is the market needs new leadership, and economically sensitive "cyclical" areas like tech and industrials, as well as major pharma names, will give a better barometer of the state of the global economy.

On that front, Catalano is encouraged by results from Alcoa and Johnson & Johnson and believes Dell's disappointment is more a result of its overexposure to developed markets vs. a sign the global "green shoots" are turning brown.

Like most, the strategist and blogger believes second-quarter results must exceed consensus expectations...

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From paidContent.org, July 9, 2009:

Microsoft still hasn’t commented on Google’s plans to introduce an operating system of its own. An official statement is coming later today and we’ll post it here when it comes out. (Update: Microsoft now says it will in fact not comment). But there are lots of reasons why Microsoft does not need to be too concerned about Google’s foray into its home turf. Here are five:

—Windows 7 is not Vista: Google’s operating system, which is initially targeted for netbooks, will only be available starting in mid-2010. By then, Microsoft’s new operating system, Windows 7, will have been on the market for at least nine months. Unlike its predecessor Windows Vista, Windows 7 has received rave early reviews. Also unlike Vista, Microsoft has promised that Windows 7 will work as well on netbooks as on high-end gaming PCs. As one Microsoft employee wrote on his blog today, “If Win7 didn’t have a SKU for Netbooks, this might even be interesting.” Microsoft will therefore be in a strong position to defend its turf than when Chrome OS comes out

—Microsoft is building its own browser optimized to run web apps:...

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• Google’s Biggest Direct Assault on Microsoft: Open Source Desktop OS Based on Chrome