Google's last week-launched Apps Sync - a plug-in that allows business customers to change over to Google Apps even as the Microsoft Outlook interface is retained - has expectedly invited the wrath of rival Microsoft! As per Microsoft, Google's software disables the search capabilities of the fairly popular Microsoft Outlook email program.

While industry watchers opine that Apps Sync is thus far Google's most aggressive attempt to challenge Microsoft in the enterprise market, Google has itself, even in acknowledging 'an issue' with the software and saying that it would improve upon it, refused to admit that the problem is as severe as Microsoft has made it appear!

The Microsoft-Google dispute over Apps Sync only demonstrates the brewing tension between the two Internet biggies, as Google impinges on Microsoft's software territory with the software.

According to Microsoft Outlook's Product Manager Dev Balasubramanian, Google's new software has a "serious bug/flaw" that could disable key Outlook functions. As such, the installation of the Google Apps Sync brings about a change in a registry key, thereby disabling the ability to search Outlook data.

Meanwhile, Google product manager Chris Vander Mey contented that Apps Sync disables Windows Desktop Search because it does not work properly with Google's software. Nonetheless, Goolge claims that users can still use the search function within Outlook for searching their emails and contacts.