The IP-switching function is meant to create more stability on the Web by allowing an overloaded Web site to switch servers without a hiccup.

FORBES: Future Phishing

In fact, argues Nicholas Carr, the former editor of the Harvard Business Review and author of the new book The Big Switch, those Web applications are signs of a fundamental change, a shift from the desktop to the Web that could redefine computing--and Google's business model.

FORBES: Magazine Article

It sparked a user-backlash and apology from Apple's boss who suggested customers switch to Google's web app.

BBC: Google adds Street View to its maps mobile web app