I’ve been using Microsoft Windows since I realized that my 8-bit Kaypro wasn’t the wave of the future. Not on phones, mind you – I could never see downgrading from Palm to one of Microsoft’s many mobile versions and I doubt I’ll see a compelling reason to downgrade from Android to the Windows Mobile 7 either. A downgrade to iPhone + AT&T is equally unlikely.
I’ve flirted with Linux, but found its many interfaces clunky and the availability of applications compatible with the rest of the world (Windows) too limited. Since OS/X, Macs have been intriguing, but the price premium has always been too high for serious consideration (Apple’s vaunted cachet is worth about a dime to me). In the absence of real alternatives, I’ve stuck with Windows (and Office and Visual Studio) for both desktop and laptop computers. They work – very well in many instances – and I can exchange Excel spreadsheets, Visio drawings, Word docs, and C# code with colleagues.
Given my investment in Microsoft products, I’ve been following the Microsoft death watch with some interest. According to the noisier parts of the blogosphere and some industry “analysts” with their laser-like prognostications, iPads and iPhones will replace laptops and desktops (except for some Macs, of course). Google’s Chrome OS will take over the handful of remaining netbooks. All software will run in the cloud (except for Steve Jobs-approved stuff from the iProduct app store). Hotmail and IM are already dead, so it’s pretty much over for Microsoft. One guy actually predicted that the end would come within three years [I’m kicking myself for not bookmarking his piece or clipping it to Evernote].
Bloggers and “analysts” v. numbers
Well, it looks like the reports Microsoft’s demise are as premature as the reported death of the PC and the passing of computer files. On June 25, Microsoft put some numbers up on its official blog. As MC Siegler of TechCrunch put it,
The intention was obviously to lend some perspective to some of the negative coverage Microsoft has been getting recently. There’s no way around it, the numbers are impressive.
Indeed they are. I think I’ll go ahead with my planned desktop upgrade to Windows 7, Office 2010, and Visual Studio 2010.
