infoTECH Feature

January 03, 2012

2012: The Year in Tech

As the new year starts to unfold, what new products and technologies will be there to greet IT professionals?

Windows 8

Perhaps the biggest product launch of the year will be Microsoft’s (News - Alert) latest flavor of Windows. Designed for a variety of devices from touchscreen tablets to desktop PCs, Windows 8 promises to offer the biggest overhaul to Microsoft’s OS in years. But already the new version has proven controversial. Available as a Developer Preview since September, Windows 8 has elicited a fair number of negative comments and concerns from users over its attempt to be all things to all devices.

With its new Metro UI, the new OS actually seems to be geared more toward touchscreen devices with traditional PCs a bit of an afterthought. Though the Windows desktop is still around, it’s been relegated to just another app as Microsoft tries to push developers and users toward the Metro interface and Metro applications. And moving from Metro to Desktop and back again is at present a very clumsy and jarring process.

Navigating around Windows 8 via just a mouse and keyboard can definitely be a challenge. But it is important to keep in mind that the Developer Preview is just that—a preview. Microsoft has been promising that the final version of Windows 8 will be much more PC friendly. With a beta of the new OS slated for February and the retail edition for sometime last this year, we’ll have to see if Microsoft’s promise holds true. But however it unfolds, Windows 8 will certainly be something that IT pros will need to check out and evaluate this year.

Windows Server 8

Along with the client version, a new server version of Windows 8 will debut this year. Available as a Developer Preview for MSDN subscribers, Windows Server 8 places a strong focus on virtualization, allowing organizations to more easily build and set up their own private clouds. As such, even IT departments fully equipped with Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 will want to evaluate Windows Server 8.

Windows Phone (News - Alert) 8

As part of its effort to grab a bigger chunk of the mobile market, Microsoft is expected to release the next version of its smartphone OS this year. Details on Windows Phone 8 have been light. Some reports suggest that Microsoft will combine the code for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 to truly make the new OS all things for all devices. But other reports have discounted that notion. So it’s still unclear what we’ll see in Windows Phone 8. Either way, Microsoft’s deal to flavor Nokia (News - Alert) phones with its mobile OS will certainly shake up the global market this year. But still, the folks in Redmond face an uphill battle competing against the likes of Apple (News - Alert) and Android.

Tablets Galore

It goes without saying that the industry will continue to see an influx of new tablets this year. Some reports have claimed Apple will unveil a 7-inch tablet this year to compete with the smaller-sized Android (News - Alert) devices. Those are just rumors at this point, but it’s a certainly a given that the company will unveil its iPad 3 early this year.

Of course, we’ll also see a slew of new Android tablets. But with most of the past offerings struggling against the iPad, Android vendors will have to beef up their offerings or lower their prices, a la Amazon’s Kindle Fire. Either way, the array of choices promise to give consumers more options and keep IT pros on their toes trying to support the devices that users bring into the workplace.

These are just a few of the products and technologies that await IT pros and consumers in the year ahead. But I’m sure there will be a few other surprises to keep us all busy as we wend our way through 2012.



Lance Whitney is a journalist, IT consultant, and Web Developer with almost 20 years of experience in the IT world. To read more of Lance's articles, please visit his columnist page

Edited by Jennifer Russell
FOLLOW US

Subscribe to InfoTECH Spotlight eNews

InfoTECH Spotlight eNews delivers the latest news impacting technology in the IT industry each week. Sign up to receive FREE breaking news today!
FREE eNewsletter

infoTECH Whitepapers