Chetan Venkatesh, a wise man and CEO and founder of Atlantis Computing, told me that he believed that Microsoft was in trouble in the consumer arena. Apple would take the high end and Google would take everything else. Let's break it down: What do users want from a computer? Web browsing, e-mail, media playback, some applications for their finances... hey, aren't all these things handled by the web browser? Even iTunes shows signs of going the way of browser. Chrome is a solid browser and shows so much promise; to build an OS around appears to be logical.
I think I speak for the consumer when I say I just want to hit the power button and get to my (browser-fied) applications; that's it! I don't want to wait 10 minutes to logon to the computer, wait for the completely obtrusive virus scan to complete, double-check to make sure my WiFi is really connected (not partially - I know this improved somewhat over the crap-tastic WiFi support XP SP2 introduced), etc. How many prompts/how many obstacles/how much do I have to wait and suffer through just to get on Facebook?
Forget consumers, people just want their applications - that's it! Do I need or even remotely desire all the kludge that Windows 7/Vista/XP throws in our faces just to do basic tasks? And then I think of all the times where I ask users, "Did you make sure Windows updates are running, are you sure your virus definitions are up to date, when is the last time you defragged, etc." This is insane, particularly when you consider there are many users that still are unsure when to right-click a fucking mouse. OVER 20 YEARS AND PEOPLE STILL DON'T KNOW HOW TO USE A FUCKING MOUSE.
I don't think I can stress that last point enough. I know some would read this and think, "Well duh, they're just old people, they can't even find the power button." But wait, isn't that a problem in the design of most computers? So why limit the needlessly complicated use to the software. Yes, we have a MAJOR problem with hardware design as well. Let's take computers out of the equation for a minute. How many stupid buttons on your TV remote controllers (yes, plural on purpose) for one TV do you have that you will NEVER use. I'm looking at the three remote controllers it takes to just watch TV in my living room and I have counted over 70 buttons so far. 70 FUCKING BUTTONS. FUCK YOU SONY, OPTIMUM CABLEVISION, MICROSOFT ... Seriously, you clearly don't give a fuck about how I am going to actually use your products so I feel confident in giving you the one finger solute so hard your momma feels it.
My thoughts and hopes for Chrome OS are simple. Google will, in the same way it had a hand in molding the development of the hardware of the Droid, tie the user software and hardware experience into one well designed product. One simply hits the power button and he or she is on the internet doing what he or she wants with as little roadblocks as possible.
This is why Apple will continue to gain market share. 5 years ago, that was not an assured statement to declare, but today an obvious one. Being unsure though did not preclude me from saying that 5 years ago. Design is all about how a product functions. Apple designs the best personal computers, period.
This is not to say that Apple will ever have the plurality of computers out there; hardly. Yes, one does pay a premium for an Apple product and that will always turn most buyers off. The fact of the matter is, Mac OS X is a very simplistic and unified (hardware and software) experience that is unmatched by even the most expensive PC. If I give someone a Mac I will likely only hear from them for a week or two with basic questions and then after that rarely. On the other hand, if I give someone a PC, oh boy... It's going to be constant with malware and viruses, printers not printing, BSoD's, etc. Yeah, that's what I want to do, spend 4 hours at a clip that I can never get back or charge enough for. Over the life of the PC countless hours of my life that are gone forever because Microsoft made the PC, "Eh, good enough". Apple's not perfect and Snow Leopard is the buggiest release yet, but at least it's manageable!
For the remaining 80% of us Google Chrome OS is all we'll ever need. Though if the bandwidth problem in this country isn't solved, then forget everything I just wrote! We're the only Super Power in the world and we're not even in the Top 10, so pathetic...
Kingston,
ReplyDeleteI cannot empathize enough with your sentiments. Regardless of it is google, ubuntu, or Micorsoft, would someone PLEASE give me a JeOS.
I spent the better part of today setting up three consumer based PCs for an Art Gallery. All three were Windows 7. I was impressed with how much better Win 7 was to set up than XP. However I still had to uninstall Norton AntiVirus and reinstall after I did a hotfix true up. The other two were fine. Same settings and hotfixes on all three however I still had to arm wrestle with one of them. Now don’t get me wrong, I am sure some of that was due to the Norton Software, but come on… Why should we have to fight at all, this stuff should just work.
On a positive note, Windows 7 HomeGroup is the best Zero Effort Networking I have yet to see come from MS. Once HomeGroup was enabled the three PCs were able to browse each other’s libraries. It was very easy to set up. Let’s hope it stays that way. If I were a betting man, I would lay money down that I will get a call saying (in a whining tone) “I can’t see the other computer’s pictures”… I know it.
The comment about the right click is so true. PCs are not easy to use. Windows 7, although better than its predecessors, is still downright complicated. Add to that all the disparate PC manufactures who cannot agree on an industry standard set of PC tools and it is no wonder they call it a “Personal Confuser”. Have you ever tried to walk a user through connecting to a wireless network via the latest Dell Control Point Suite? Good luck! Five or six extra steps just to connect to a damn wireless network WTF?
As sexist as the sounds, my dad used to say “If it has Tits or Wheels, it will give you problems”. Well dad, I would like to add “If it has Tits, Wheels or runs Windows (any version), it will give you problems”.