It has been well argued that computer technology is now moving away from its original focus on operating systems, onto more user focused ones. Just look at the iPad, with its introduction well under way and people already anticipated for its release the new application based operating system seems to be the future.
For the longest time, people always went by the file based operating system and the Windows limited construct. Now that there are programs like Linux available and technology like the iPad soon to be commercially sold, why should anyone have anything else? With this user based software, Linux creates an interface that is so simple anyone can understand its mechanics within a short time. The even better selling point of their system is that is does not cost anything and everyone has the ability to use it.
In the article by Matt Asay “The application is the operating system” , he argues that windows is going to become disadvantaged by the time that the iPad and similar technologies become more recognized. Especially when you consider the superficial side of the consumer hype, people are going to be attracted to iPad not because of what it is but what is can do. There will eventually become less and less windows based operating systems and more and more application-user systems. It’s just the nature of technology, new ideas are released and then everyone eats it up.
But what about the other side of the coin? What happens when there are a lot of problems with the iPad and the user interface is not as quality as the marketing techniques led people to believe. We can truly only speculate at this point until the iPad is actually unveiled. But one thing is for certain, people are going to have high expectations of this product, and if apple does not perform than another company will. People demand instant gratification more than anything in our modern society. No matter how much people resist it, the concept of intergrated operating systems and their conveniences to our daily lives seem impossible to live without.
