Too Little Too Late? 2
Too Little Too Late? 2
Ironically, the case against the Windows
monopoly comes at a time when a mass migration in the industry is eroding the
power that lies in that monopoly.
PC's are being replaced by the more
mobile computing capabilities of digital assistants. That market is cornered by
Palm, who holds 79% of the market, eclipsing Microsoft's WindowsCE.
It is not news that the computing
industry is also moving online, where operating systems are irrelevant. There,
Microsoft's MSN internet provider has only 3 million subscribers to match AOL's
22 million.
Even Microsoft itself has moved on to greener pastures. Their newest concern, according to Gates, is not Windows, but Next Generation Windows Programming. Microsoft's first step is to design a secure, pervasive network architecture that will allow applications to safely run on servers in cooperation with devices on a network. This will allow users to set up their own personal home networks, linking everything from computers and digital assistants to set top internet boxes, wireless devices, and appliances.