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Are Windows Apps Becoming a Thing of the Past?

by dvduval
12 replies
As I look at what google is doing, it seems that soon most so called "applications" are going to be run through the browser, and when it comes to things like photoshop, word, excel, powerpoint, outlook and much more, there are alternatives that are free, and run through the browser. Already over the last year, there has been tremendous progress in this area, and by the end of the year, we'll start to see computers that mainly run off the net, and don't even require powerful hardware.

Do you think windows apps are going to get marginalized?
How can a marketer best leverage this trend?
#apps #past #thing #windows
  • Profile picture of the author jkiley
    Eventually...yes...but not now...there are still half a billion people (if not more) in the world who are using windows. Microsoft Office has a bigger budget then the entire Oracle.

    You need to wait another 5 years (if not 10) to come back and ask this question.
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    • Profile picture of the author bandonflyer
      One other interesting note is the slow adoption but growth of "cloud" computing as well. Where these business apps are hosted on a shared server. This too is growing in popularity and as I work overseas with a US based partner it is something I'm looking into as well...
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      • Profile picture of the author bgmacaw
        I'm thinking that you'll see a more hybrid service based architecture, perhaps along the lines of Hulu Desktop, where data, output and/or some functionality is remote while the core app runs locally. This would leverage both the local processing power and the ability to aggregate data and processing power from 'the cloud'.
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        • Profile picture of the author dvduval
          Originally Posted by bgmacaw View Post

          I'm thinking that you'll see a more hybrid service based architecture, perhaps along the lines of Hulu Desktop, where data, output and/or some functionality is remote while the core app runs locally. This would leverage both the local processing power and the ability to aggregate data and processing power from 'the cloud'.
          Yes, and what you are already seeing from google are apps that do both. You can work with all your email and documents either locally offline or from any computer online.
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  • Profile picture of the author dvduval
    Yea, I'm thinking that billions will still not have a fast enough computer to work with broadband, but even still there are going to be these netbooks coming out later this year that are super cheap, and run google android including browser based apps for word processing, spreadsheets and mail.
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  • Profile picture of the author bandonflyer
    To a large extent, yes...

    But...

    There are certain applications that will probably never go this route - Photoshop that you listed is probably one of them. You might find a Photoshop Elements Lite version hosted, but high end apps like Photoshop and Premiere - I think they will remain firmly on the desktop for many years to come.
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  • Profile picture of the author Tyrus Antas
    Simple data-entry applications will inevitably transition to the browser. For processor dependent software, I totally agree with bgmacaw.

    Tyrus
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    • Profile picture of the author jjpmarketing
      A lot of corporations are already on the SaaS platform. ISP's use a lot of tools that are SaaS. Most are transitioning away from the desktop based database applications for client lists, billing, etc. Google Documents is very nice.

      Dennis
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  • Profile picture of the author Igor Kheifets
    Hey DVD Duval,

    I think your question has no real basis to it.
    You see, you can't replace word or photoshop,
    there is always an option of connection going down
    or your modem crashing,

    I mean, I feel much safer typing in word, cause I know I
    can back the whole thing up, and access
    it anytime, with no difference whether I have internet connection or not.

    Igor
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    • Profile picture of the author Brandon Tanner
      It largely depends on the type of application. Many programs seem to be a great fit for web-based apps, but some will always work best as desktop apps (especially when your internet connection is slow or down, lol).

      Most people don't realize how big the software industry is. Even though web-based apps have been getting a lot more popular over the last few years, desktop apps still represent the lions share of the market. But even if that changed (which I believe is very possible), even if one day desktop apps were reduced to being just 20% of the software market, that 20% still represents a HUMONGOUS market! Heck, even 5% of the market would be a lot!

      So as a marketer, there will always be plenty of opportunity for both desktop and web-based apps.
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      • Profile picture of the author Wakunahum
        Well as long as people are programming things with .netframework and directX (games mostly), I think windows apps will be around for quite a long time.

        For simple things like making web pages, "word" documents, and spreadsheets, you can use programs/applications that work on any OS.
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  • Profile picture of the author JoMo
    Adobe is already looking into "rented" software. I took an Adobe online satisfaction survey the other day, and one of the questions was if I would be interested in rented Adobe software. So I do believe they will be looking at browser bases solutions for this when it happens.
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