Goodbye “software”
I’ve noticed a trend recently that has seemed to have passed but has gone unspoken. That trend is the move from software, as we know knew it, to online applications.
When was the last time you bought a piece of software in a box at a store? Instead of paying $X for software on a CD, people, instead, seem to be using online applications that don’t charge a set amount, but make money through other means. Google has been hard at work replicating everything Microsoft Office offers– but for free*. Meanwhile, a slew of other companies have created online versions of applications that were previously found on the desktop (i.e. Flickr, gaming sites, TV/video sites, online address books). As computers and the Internet grow smarter and faster, the need for software as we knew it becomes less and less.
So my first question is: What can be done to improve the web browser experience? And if the answer is “not much,” will Google, Flickr, etc. come out with downloadable software apps that interface with their servers more intelligently and quickly?
And my second question is: What will Best Buy do with all the extra space from the Software section of their stores?
I wonder how much of this is being discussed behind closed doors at Google, Best Buy, and the likes…
*depending on how you see things…
July 22nd, 2007 at 8:51 pm
I think retailers like Best Buy see this as a positive development; it allows them to focus more on selling devices and appliances. The same goes for Staples, who can focus more on true office supplies than oversized cardboard boxes with CDs inside.