The recent collaboration between Microsoft and Yahoo! along with predictions that the future of the search could be the addition of “social relevancy” have pointed the lens squarely at the search engine as the most important piece of real estate in the quest for dominance online, but if we zoom out a frame, I have to wonder if browsers aren’t the more vital space to own?

The NY Times points to the current landscape, where Microsoft and Apple have recently upgraded their entries, Google has introduced Chrome and “browser-lite” offered by Mozilla has captured 23 percent market share. Add to this already crowded field, a new venture by start-up RockMelt – backed by Netscape founder Marc Andreessen – that while still in the early stages, is rumored to have implications for engaging with social media platforms, and the battle lines are being redrawn.

With the increasing mobility and connectedness offered by new technologies, the web and not the computer is increasingly becoming our access point to work and play, while the internet is simultaneously being seen less as a cohesive whole as it is deconstructed into dynamic pages and applications for performing specific tasks. Which is to say, that the browser is the gateway to controlling and shaping that user experience and there’s plenty of room for  innovation to keep pace with this evolution.

The biggest challenge remains distribution, but as we’ve seen time and again, develop a compelling enough product and your audience will find you, particularly in the fluid world of online technology.

[image via R.P. Piper]