This could turn out to be quite a year in the computer world. Google released Android 4.0 last year along with the Galaxy Nexus, but this is the year we’ll really start to see that OS make its way onto new devices. In particular, Google’s Nexus Tablet by ASUS seems to be just around the corner. Google is also pushing ahead with Chrome OS. Chrome OS has been a bit overshadowed by Android and the Chrome browser, but it has been quietly progressing and growing.
The browser has seen wild success, just recently passing Internet Explorer as top dog as far as browsers go. The OS itself has transitioned from a browser with a few essential tweaks to a desktop and app model. It has also found its way onto new hardware, going from a single Chromebook to several, and now to the Chromebox. Android and Chrome don’t seem to be cooperating, but it will be interesting to see where each goes. My personal theory is that Google will try to make a push into the education market, selling Google Apps for Education alongside labs full of cheap ChromeOS computers. I also think we’ll see the Chrome browser on iOS — and you can already demonstrate iOS devices through Google Apps set up through Exchange.
On Microsoft’s side, we will see the big debut of Windows 8, Windows Phone 8, and WindowsRT on tablets. Microsoft was slow to the mobile devices game, hanging onto Windows Mobile for far too long and trying to squeeze the full Windows experience into a tablet. Their image is also still recovering from the technological mess that was Windows Vista and while Windows 7 was a nice change, there are many concerns about Windows 8. Still, they are hugely embedded in enterprise and in most people’s computers and they have the money to stay in the fight.
And then there’s Apple. No matter your feelings about Apple, you have to admit that their product releases have a way of making headlines and generating conversations like no other. It seems that they are ripe to release updates to every Mac line, the iPhone, iOS, and OS X. Most-likely, WWDC next month will see the release of Apple’s next-generation OS, Mountain Lion as well as a sneak-peak at iOS 6 (of which rumors have been surprisingly sparse save for an updated, non-Google 3D maps app). And of course, what fun is a new operating system without new hardware? The MacBook Pro seems to be first-in-line for a major refresh and stands to gain a lot from Intel’s new Ivy Bridge chips and USB 3. Of course the rumors and mock-ups have been rampant, showing a thinner, wedge-shaped MacBook Pro and a retina display. And then there’s the Mac Pro which has been collecting dust. I think this year we’ll have to see either a major update or an end-of-life announcement.
So wait, and watch while the major players in tech make their moves. There seem to be a lot of new technologies coming to maturity which could make for some interesting changes.