- 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 the market share for Apple users.
- Internet browsers were limited to one or two competitors, but there are many competitors for this market now, including Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Chrome.
- Office suites were once limited to Microsoft Office and WordPerfect, with WordPerfect becoming a smaller and smaller market share. With open source coding, other options are emerging, including Google Docs, Zoho, and the most notable being OpenOffice, an entirely free package that is competing with Microsoft Office. 20% of OpenOffice users are now using this suite for work purposes, including some government offices.
Variety in Software
At one time, the majority of computing was done on Windows-based software, almost exclusively on Microsoft products. A small group, primarily graphics-intensive users, used Apple products and an even smaller group, mostly scientists and academics, used Unix for their computing needs. With the popularity in open source coding on the rise, a renewed interest in Apple products, and a growing population interested in Linux, the pendulum is swinging towards a variety for both operating systems and the software applications that go with them.
- 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 the market share for Apple users.
- Internet browsers were limited to one or two competitors, but there are many competitors for this market now, including Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Chrome.
- Office suites were once limited to Microsoft Office and WordPerfect, with WordPerfect becoming a smaller and smaller market share. With open source coding, other options are emerging, including Google Docs, Zoho, and the most notable being OpenOffice, an entirely free package that is competing with Microsoft Office. 20% of OpenOffice users are now using this suite for work purposes, including some government offices.
Variety in Hardware
Computers have had similar pendulum swings in the popularity of their hardware, most notably in processors. At one time, all Microsoft computers relied on Intel processors and Apple computers, which were a much smaller share of the market, used Motorola processors. AMD began to compete with Intel for the market on Microsoft computers, making significant inroads during their fierce competition. A few years ago, another shift took place when Motorola was abandoned by Apple in favour of the Intel processor.
Competition and variety in computer hardware is not limited to processors, but processors are a good example of this competition, showing the swing in the marketplace and driving a portion of the technological advancement.
Why is Variety Healthy?
With variety in computer hardware and software, comes growth and new ideas in the marketplace. Not long ago, computers were functional for limited purposes and a limited time frame. As the newer models came out, the small portion of software available would cater to the new machines and it became harder to support older machines. Now that there are so many computers in use, software companies no longer cater solely to the latest and greatest, but rather the widest range of machines possible. In turn, these trends have opened up the market for resale, used, and wholesale computers and computer parts.
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