I won't be far off the mark if I say that this decade clearly belonged to XP. Windows XP was first launched in 2001, and as far as I can recall, it took a while for people to give up their love for Windows 98, and move up to XP. Though the product at launch was unstable and buggy, Microsoft improved the stability and performance over time (matching Bill Gates's philosphy in 'Business@Speed of Thought').
Windows Vista, released worldwide in 2007, received a lukewarm response from the corporate world (though it sold twice as many copies as XP in the first month itself). The terrible initial reviews, gazillions of compatibility issues, licensing costs, very short life span etc., all fueled the corporate world's hesitation towards Vista. It even managed to get #2 spot on Tech's all time top 25 flops.
Now that Windows 7 release date is around the corner, corporate world should get ready for the migration journey and start thinking about making some investments in IT again. While the extended support for XP won't end till 2014, I am not sure if it'll be possible for organizations to procure new copies and licenses after an year or two. Gartner is suggesting companies to move over to Windows 7 by 2011 / 2012.
I guess, you really have to work in a large company to appreciate the time and money it takes to make this journey. There are countless internal / customized softwares and applications, all of which need to be tested for security and compatibility. That's apart from validating the OS itself. Then, the licensing costs for the OS, and other third part apps come into the picture.
This time however, no matter how much it costs the companies, they will have to migrate to Windows 7! Though companies succeeded in avoiding Vista, thanks to XP's extended availability and support, this time around, that won't be the case. I guess the good news is, the initial reviews of windows 7 are very encouraging. The OS is supposed to be a lot faster, and also a lot less annoying ( as compared to Vista)
Only time will tell how successful Windows 7 will be, but if I had to bet, I'll put all my money on Windows 7!Speaking of money, I think, as the economy gets back on the track by mid 2010, and companies get ready to invest in IT, it might be a good time to buy stocks like Intel (NASDAQ: INTC), Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), HP (NYSE: HPQ), and Dell (NASDAQ: DELL)
My prediction about Windows 7's success should in NO way undermine my loyalty towards Apple. I remain as always, a loyal fan! :) It's just that the premium price tag and a totally different architecture keeps most of the corporate world away from the awesomeness that is APPLE!
As someone who started office life not so long ago, I wanted to take time today & write about how the technology has transformed the workplace in the last fifty years or so.
In 1943, the president of IBM predicted that there was a world market for maybe five computers. Now, sixty six years later, imagine how the work will be affected if the computers stop working! Each and everything will come to a halt, period!
Even though data intensive organizations like banks used computers even in 1950s, they were HUGE, ridiculously expensive & kept in special climate controlled rooms. It wasn’t until 1981 when IBM released it's PC that the world actually took serious notice. PCs became more and more popular, & more commercial apps like Lotus 1-2-3 were launched. Once computer had a solid foothold, Internet which till later 1980s was primarily used for military, research & education started peeking into the corporate world as well. Rest of it is relatively recent history, worldwide web, emails, cellphones & now e-commerce.
In the last fifty years or so, technology has completely overhauled the workplace again & again. First the computers became mainstream and then the internet and email. A lot of companies already have an intranet messenger or at the very least use one of the popular messengers to facilitate easy communication between employees. Almost all the meetings are over the phone or internet now & very often, meetings comprise of people spanning multiple continents! Corporate emails & messenger are now finding their way to smartphones, & a new culture of “work anytime anywhere” is being promoted.So, in short for people who started their career about 40 – 50 years ago, it’s very hard to imagine how many changes they have adapted to in a relatively short span of time.
Now, the question is, should we not expect a similar (or much faster) transformation curve in the next 40-50 years? There is absolutely no reason to think why the work place won’t evolve at a fast pace! While it’s almost impossible to predict what the changes will be, we can try & make an educated guess:
- Cloud computing: I guess I believe in it very strongly, but I think in the next 5-6 years, any device with a screen & an input channel that has access to network will be able to provide you with all your data no matter where and how it is stored.
- Avatar: I think our avatars will eventually lead a much more meaningful life online. Even today, several virtual platforms exist today (most notable being “Second Life”) however, there will be a lot of raised eyebrows in the room if you tell them that you spent real money (or Linden dollars) for buying a new pair of shoes for your avatar. However, I think as people develop more mainstream uses for the virtual life, avatar’s will become more important. For example, consider attending an e-conference with people from around the world while you are “working from home”. You might or might not be very comfortable with 10s of people watching you on webcam, but I am sure your avatar won’t be “camera shy”! Infact, all the avatars could potentially meet up in a virtual meeting room & discuss matters that will change the world! (Hey, you better buy land in Second Life while the Linden dollar is still cheap!)
- During the presidential elections in US, CNN used a holographic technique which received a lukewarm reception. Nevertheless, it can have some very interesting applications in relation to “avatar” point above.
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