It seems that change is everywhere. It's almost as if it's blowing in the wind, as Bob Dylan said.
Here are just some of the changes on tap in the tech world.
* Microsoft and Apple have finalized their next-generation operating systems. Windows 7 is slated to be released in October, and the Mac Snow Leopard OS is available now.
In a way, the releases of these two operating systems are designed for opposite results. The Snow Leopard OS is very much about consolidating and tightening up existing features, creating even more stability in its operation. This is not to say that it won't be innovative, but Apple's goal from the start here was to lock down all the good aspects of Leopard and make it more stable and secure.
Microsoft has a greater task in releasing Windows 7, and that is to overcome the public-relations nightmare that was Vista. This disaster came about because of promised features that never made it into the OS and device driver support problems at its launch. It didn't help that Vista hogs memory and resources in general and tends to complicate what should be a simple process in several areas. It's ironic that Vista is finally a fairly usable OS now that Windows 7 is about to be released.
Wait a bit before you upgrade to either Snow Leopard or Windows 7. While it's likely that the problems with each will be minor, there's no way to know how smoothly the upgrades will go for at least a month. This is because buggy features have a way of concealing themselves very successfully for a while. The most common of these are always program or device conflicts, so take your time.
* Another change blowing in the wind is the upcoming Apple event rumored to be on Sept. 9. This is usually about the time each year that Apple updates the iPod line of music players, as well as iTunes. This year there is a strong rumor that the company has joined with several record labels to introduce a new, so-called album format. The labels have not been happy that downloads of single songs have dominated iTunes use.
* Keep a close watch on a concept called augmented reality. This is basically the overlaying of Web technology over physical objects, much like the templates of the human body in layers that you find in biology books. Along with the Internet of Things I've discussed before, this is a major game changer. I'll be telling you more on this as it develops.
* Nowhere is change more evident than in the field of social networking a la Facebook and Twitter. These two services have redefined even the most basic assumptions about what online activity is, as users are flocking to these sites by an increasingly large number.
Facebook has been adding features at a breakneck pace this last month, including the streaming of pages via Twitter, which I discussed in a recent podcast. This will have the greatest impact in the short term, as it directly connects businesses, bands and individuals with a page with a Twitter account of their choice.
Add to this the upcoming Google Wave and several other newcomers, and you have an exciting season on the way.
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