– The number of software programs that can be installed on a variety of operating systems has increased astronomically. In the past, Apple computer users were limited to a handful of programs available for that platform, limiting market share for Apple users.
– Internet browsers used to be limited to one or two competitors, but now there are many competitors for this market, including Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Chrome.
– Office suites were once limited to Microsoft Office and WordPerfect, with WordPerfect becoming a shrinking market share. With open source coding, other options are emerging, such as Google Docs, Zoho, and most notably OpenOffice, a completely free suite that competes with Microsoft Office. 20% of OpenOffice users now use this suite for work purposes, including some government offices.
Variety in Software
At one time, most computing was done in Windows-based software, almost exclusively in Microsoft products. A small group, mainly graphics-intensive users, used Apple products and an even smaller group, mostly scientists and academics, used Unix for their computing needs. With the growing popularity of open source coding, a renewed interest in Apple products, and a growing population interested in Linux, the pendulum is swinging toward variety for both operating systems and their accompanying software applications.
- The number of software programs that can be installed on a variety of operating systems has increased astronomically. In the past, Apple computer users were limited to a handful of programs available for that platform, limiting market share for Apple users.
- Internet browsers used to be limited to one or two competitors, but now there are many competitors for this market, including Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Chrome.
- Office suites were once limited to Microsoft Office and WordPerfect, with WordPerfect becoming a shrinking market share. With open source coding, other options are emerging, such as Google Docs, Zoho, and most notably OpenOffice, a completely free suite that competes with Microsoft Office. 20% of OpenOffice users now use this suite for work purposes, including some government offices.
Variety in Hardware
Computers have had similar pendulum swings in the popularity of their hardware, especially processors. At one time, all Microsoft computers relied on Intel processors, and Apple computers, which accounted for a much smaller portion of the market, used Motorola processors. AMD began to compete with Intel for the market for Microsoft computers, making significant gains during their fierce competition. A few years ago, another change occurred when Apple ditched Motorola in favor of the Intel processor.
Competition and variety in computer hardware is not limited to processors, but processors are a good example of this competition as they show the change in the market and drive some of the technological advancement.
Why is variety healthy?
With the variety of computer hardware and software comes growth and new ideas in the market. Not too long ago, computers were functional for limited purposes and for a limited period of time. As newer models came out, the small amount of software available was adapted to new machines, and it became more difficult to support older machines. Now that there are so many computers in use, software companies are no longer just dealing with the latest and greatest, but with the widest range of machines possible. In turn, these trends have opened up the market for resale, used, and wholesale computers and parts.
