Lions or Clouds: Who Will Win the Technology Arms Race?

The release of Microsoft’s Windows 8 (due out in 2012) and Apple’s OS X Lion has created a significant divide between the two companies in their approach to the ‘mobility’ of computers, tablets and phones. This article will consider the two different approaches to dominating the ‘mobile’ market and consider who will win out on top.

Apple’s Approach

Apple has undoubtedly been ahead in the race to turn the Personal Computer into something you can carry in your pocket at all times. The advent of the iPod left the Walkman in the dust, just as the advent of the iPhone changed the face of technology today. The simple fact so far is that Apple is ahead in winning the hearts and minds of consumers and there is a simple reason for this.

Apple has created the iOS approach which is purpose built for mobile units and also has the OS X which is designed only for use with computers. There is a distinct difference, in the minds-eye of Apple, between the requirements of a desktop computer and a tablet. This has proved successful and Apple overtook PC’s sales for the first time ever. The OS X Lion has strengthened this position and clearly determined a difference between the ‘mobile’ and the ‘stationary’ by creating a system which requires a 64-Bit processor to operate it.

Microsoft’s Approach

Microsoft’s announcement of the new Windows OS has taken a brave, daring and potentially revolutionary route. The new software is not designed for a tablet, or a laptop, it is designed to be everywhere at once, doing everything. This is a bold move, taking the entirety of Microsoft’s software down the same route, but it promises to pander to the needs of consumers and businesses alike.

Despite the fact that Microsoft is yet to release a realistic challenge to the iPad, this is definitely the first step towards doing so. What makes the new Windows OS so special is that it is designed to run on an ARM processor. ARM processors are used in almost all smart phones and tablets. The result of this is that Microsoft would potentially reach out to every device on the market. Given that Windows is still the bestselling OS internationally, the future looks bright with this prospect.

Who will win?

The two distinct approaches toward the portable are interesting because the more portable company, Apple, is dividing between stationary and mobile, whereas the less mobile, Microsoft, has released Cloud and Mobile developments which could well result in a greater fluidity in the future.

Which approach will win out is yet to be seen but as the Xbox 360 begins to appear more like the Windows Phone, and computers tend toward the same, it is clear that Microsoft aims to blur all of the boundaries and create a system where tablets are not limited, but are capable of achieving all that a desktop computer is able to.

One thing that is for certain is that the new Windows 8 Download is something you need to try out. Unlike the new OS X Lion, Windows 8 is something new and wonderful which could well be the future of computing. It is time to look to the sky and flee from the lions.