iPad and Laptop Competitors on the Horizon, the Computer Market in 2010

The NY Times reports that Google is working on a tablet pc/reader device that will run the Android operating system.

That piece also mentions Microsoft's Courier tablet, an HP tablet that will run Android and Nokia's development of an e-reader.

Google also has the Chrome OS and was targeting that operating system to netbooks later this year. We'll have to see how the development of the iPad affects plans for the Chrome OS and the continuing roll-out of netbooks vs. tablets.

The computer market is shaping up this way so far in 2010:

1. The good old fashioned desktop or workstation.  Relatively inexpensive desktops are still the norm in many businesses, although that is changing as businesses move to cloud applications. We'll probably start seeing a migration from the tower plus a monitor to the all-in-one model accelerate this year. On-Site Technical Solutions has begun deploying more all-in-one systems for businesses. 
2. The powerful business workstation. Businesses that need processing power, intense video, graphic or sound manipulation and complex resident programs are still going to need powerful desktop workstations in the short term. Many of memory and processor-intensive desktop computer tasks are not yet readily available in the cloud. Fewer and fewer businesses are in need of these desktop behemoths. 
3. Laptops with very fast processors and loads of memory. These will also become a dying breed as more businesses (and consumers) move to cloud applications. Powerful laptops will be replaced by netbooks or tablets. It's still too early to tell if tablets will kill the netbook, but we can already see potential netbook customers opting for the iPad. 
4. Netbooks are priced right and work great for email and web interactions but as good  at replacing a desktop as a more powerful laptop. The netbooks are more convenient and easier to use for word processing and spreadsheets, but compared to the tablets and smartphones they're bulky and heavy.   
5. Tablet computers. The iPad has taken the computing world by storm and as the hype dies down we're finding that it has a place in both the consumer and business market. It's still pretty expensive, but can do most of what a netbook does and is more convenient for travel (including the TSA allowing it to stay in backpacks and briefcases in airport security.) We can assume the tablets coming out from other vendors (and future iPad models) will address consumer perceived shortfalls in the iPad and also provide less pricey alternatives.   
6. Smartphones will continue to grab a bigger share of Internet active for both the consumer and business. As more people replace their mobile phones with smartphones the functionality built into these devices will improve, even as competing alternatives like the tablets enter the market. 

Expect your business to move away from workstations and desktops and into the world of netbooks/tablets and smartphones. The latter devices will be the dominant computing platforms for both the consumer and business worlds in the near future.

Visit On-Site Technical Solutions for information on how you can move to Google Apps or other Cloud Computing applications. We can also help you with your mobile computing. You should follow us on Twitter here. Call or text me at 949-212-2168.



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10 Reasons Why Having Both Macs and PCs Spells Trouble For Apple

eWeek has an interesting article on the future of the Mac/PC wars with the launch of Windows 7.

10 Reasons Why Having Both Macs and PCs Spells Trouble For Apple

At On-Site Technical Solutions we don't discourage Macs, but our customers tend to end up with either a PC or both PC and Mac. We have both Mac and Windows certifications and are happy to support both.

Most importantly, Macs don't do as well in Windows server environments, so most of our customers are better off with a PC connected to their business network. All of our managed services customers run Windows servers but we have supported Mac server environments - there just are not very many out there!

When it comes time to buying a computer, spending literally twice as much on a Mac over a PC isn't going to happen for our business customers unless it's for an executive or an employee working with video or CAD or something like that. Our customers tend to be very practical and we try not to let them spend money unnecessarily. Our typical support for Macs is a group separate from the Windows environment working on video or CAD, and then supporting the execs on their home Macs. 'Cause they're so cool!

If Google's Chrome OS gets any kind of a foothold in the netbook market in the next couple of years, the old Mac/PC wars may be moot. Even if Chrome OS doesn't catch on, someone will deliver an OS that will be CHEAP and support the netbooks that are geared to the Cloud and need NO bells and NO whistles. Microsoft would love to get your Cloud business in one of their shiny new data centers and the OS and Office Pro on a beefy PC, but you're simply not going to need both for everyone in the company. Expect them to have Windows for netbooks. Apple does have the iPhone, which is like a mini-laptop.

We expect to have some power users with high performance computers but more employees with netbooks running Cloud applications and using the free web Office applications. We can't wait to see how all of this turns out, and we expect to see it shaping up sooner rather than later. Make sure your business is ready!

You should follow me on Twitter here. Call or text me at 1-949-212-2168.

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Outlook (finally) coming to the Mac

This may turn out to be a case of too little too late. We can finally use Outlook on Macs just when companies like On-Site Technical solutions are looking to diversify their customers from Outlook to other applications like Google Apps.

Can you say Google Chrome OS? Will that new OS render the Mac/PC debate obsolete? Not for a few years, but changes are coming!

From The Register.

Outlook (finally) coming to the Mac

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And Microsoft Strikes Back!

As a Microsoft Partner we've been concerned about Microsoft's direction in response to the assaults on their hegemony on the desktop, both the operating system and office tools. This was especially true in relation to the FREE applications being offered by competitors.

It looks like Microsoft is striking back in a big way by offering a free version of their flagship Office software with Microsoft Office 2010. We'll have to see how profitable this strategy will be, and it really doesn't do us partners any good.

For businesses that rely on Office to conduct business, this is nothing but good news. It's going to help hold down costs - whether it's for the core office products, not having to migrate to another tool (expensive projects!) or not having to train on another platform (expensive project!).

From Microsoft's perspective this will permit organizations to use a light versions of Office for collaboration on the web but keep the full blown versions on computers in the office (and laptops). No matter how it's rolled out, it will lead to lower costs for businesses and less of an Office cash cow.

We're currently using Google Chrome Browser and Google Apps and converting some of our customer base. We'll be looking at Google Chrome Operating System next year. This announcement may not slow that process, but it could keep our customers using Microsoft Office instead of looking at alternatives.

This is all over the Web and print, but here's an article from the LA Times on the announcement:

Microsoft plans free, online version of Office

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Google Chrome Operating System: "It should just work."

Google Chrome Browser has been out for about nine months and now comes Google Chrome Operating System. Google's web-centric OS will of course compete with Microsoft's Windows products, but also Mac and Linux. It looks like consumer versions of Chrome OS powering netbooks will be available in the second quarter of 2010.

Google is a web centric company, so it makes sense they would develop an OS geared to the web. According to Google, "Speed, simplicity and security are the key aspects of Google Chrome OS. We're designing the OS to be fast and lightweight, to start up and get you onto the web in a few seconds." Google suggests that with this new operating system users "Don't have to deal with viruses, malware and security updates. It should just work."

This is an open source operating system and Google says it will open-source the code later this year. Google says it's working with multiple OEMs to get those netbooks to market next year.

While the initial focus is on the netbooks, Google says Chrome OS will work with both x86 and ARM chips, meaning they can run the netbooks as well as more powerful desktops.

Here's another view of Google Chrome OS from a blog on InfoWorld.com.

Chrome OS: Cloud computing made real

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