How many more times are we going to let Microsoft and Apple convince us that yesterday’s version of our computer’s operating system needs to be replaced because, well, this year’s version is “superior” in every way?
Nope. It isn’t. Not any more.
Years ago it was true. Better Web integration. Cleaner code that took advantage of rapidly improving hardware technology. Greater support of the “videoization” of the computer experience.
That was Windows XP and OS X Panther.
Since then both Apple and Microsoft have asked us to work through two major upgrades. Apple moved from Tiger to Leopard. (Sorry fellow Mac fans. Snow Leopard is a service patch that we paid for.) Microsoft moved from XP to Vista (horrible) to Windows 7 (hopeful).
But the average users experience has changed very little.
Why?
Because the Internet is now where innovation is taking place. No longer are the tools provided by Cupertino and Redmond driving the market. Instead they have both been reduced to providing us functional gateways to access our most important data that is now controlled by Google, Facebook, and Twitter.
We expect our OS to manage our photos, videos, tax records, and the like. That is a bare minimum. Everything else we are moving into operating system agnostic spaces so that the PC v Mac debate begins to become moot.
Have you noticed the latest Microsoft and Apple ads? Have you seen how they’ve both been reduced to showing you how dumb you must be and how their software will help you solve data management issues that were “obviously” too hard for you to manage with the competitor’s tools or even their own older tools?
What happened to innovation and more power from my operating system? Why is “even you can do it, you moron” a feature?
Because, the Internet is the future.
Both Apple and Microsoft are being marginalized by that reality. The killer app isn’t whether you drive a BMW or a Honda or a Ford F150.
The killer app is the system of roads.
More and more computer users are finally realizing that it doesn’t matter what they use to get there. It’s where you go that matters.
