A few days ago Google introduced a new platform for collaboration & communications. The product is called Google Wave. Wave is a communication tool which foreshadows the future of the web operating system. Believe it or not within the next 3-5 years the operating system as we know it will become obsolete. Google, Facebook & Mozilla/Firefox are the most likely players in the Web OS space. The creation of a Web OS could become very disruptive for both Microsoft (Windows) & to a lesser extent Apple (Mac OS X) which are the current market leaders. I’m sure these companies have web os (cloud) strategies. However, if they don’t act soon, they could become irrelevant.
Here’s what I think is going to happen…
Microsoft is going to leverage thier investment in Facebook (1.6% stake) to build their own collaborative workspace. In the summer of 2007, Facebook purchased a company called Parakey which was a stealth start up created by the founders/creators of FireFox. Parakey was supposed to be a web-based operating system; tying the desktop with the web. The project hasn’t resurfaced since the acquisition, but I’m sure Facebook also has a web os strategy in the works. I’d be surprised if Microsoft doesn’t increase their stake in Facebook before their much anticipated IPO.
Apple is another player in the OS space. What’s their strategy? I speculate that they will utilize two important projects iTunes/App Store & Safari/Webkit in order to build their own Web OS. The idea is that you leverage the cloud and build collaborative tools so knowledge workers can organize, communicate and collaborate.
What do you think is the future of the operating system? What’s the desktops fate? Is email obsolete?
Google Wave takes us one step closer…
