In the everyday processes of life, it’s quite easy to lose sight of the technology right in front of you that does everything from help you with your daily work tasks; to aid in stress reduction; to allowing you to keep in touch with friends and family; to appeasing passions and curiosity; and far more. Although these select 3 are far from the only companies that create products that touch my life on a daily basis, they are arguably the most integral in my day-to-day functions.
THANK YOU, MICROSOFT
Even though I’m not too keen on Windows 8 at the moment, I have maintained a certain passion for Windows, more precisely for Microsoft over the years that transcends the boundaries of “fanboyism” and brand loyalty. I am platform-agnostic to the extent that I want people to use what works best for them; to use what they love. Personally, as an OS enthusiast, I’ve tried alpha/beta/mock-up Windows bits, also other OS’s; enjoy installing old builds to play with in virtual machines; perform investigative research to get the scoop on the latest and greatest Windows progress/plans; and much more. These activities all take place within Windows 7. There are some key functions of Windows 7 that I hate to see left behind in Windows 8 — so much so, as a matter of fact, of course I’ll be using Windows 8 after its final release. Also at present Windows 7 lacks absolutely nothing for my personal needs in an OS.
Just to be clear, this isn’t a gushing, brand-loyal fan view of Windows; this is just a “thank you” to Microsoft for creating an OS that I’ve been far more passionate about utilizing for more than just typical end-user usage scenarios. Without it, I wouldn’t quite be able to go about my daily tasks in the manner that I do now. Sure, mobile OS’s like Windows Phone 7, Android; OS X and Linux are fully capable operating systems, but there are too many things I use Windows for that I simply cannot use other OSs for (certain applications, gaming, etc.). Above all, I am a big, BIG fan of the software giant Microsoft. It’s just that simple.
THANK YOU, APPLE
Two words: iPhone & iPad, the greatest innovations from Apple which clearly dominated the entire market for Apple way past Microsoft. Users, after a brief stint with an Android tablet that most users wasn’t fit to be considered amongst the tablet user demographic, later purchased an iPad and haven’t looked back since. I don’t think a single day goes by that they have their hands on iPad at some point – be it to browse the Web; check email; see which new apps are out; do a bit of gaming; keep Magic Window running for relaxation; or otherwise. Yes, it’s a very expensive device; hence users like me would prefer Android (since Microsoft is yet to release a tab) tabs over iPad if it is worth.
The same story goes with the iPhone, which is the most popular smartphone since 2007. It was ground breaking when Steve Jobs first introduced the iPhone to the tech world. It then saw many version of the phone with improvements ranging from its hardware to software. The latest released version of iPhone is the ‘iPhone 4s’. Thank you apple for the all the innovations that you’ve brought to us that still keeps Steve alive.
THANK YOU, GOOGLE
As an advanced search aficionado and investigative researcher, I can say with 100% certainty that no other search engine out there (that I’ve tried) comes remotely close to touching your results in so far as the types of things I search for! Not Bing, Baidu, Yandex, or any other specialty search engine I’ve tried is as fruitful. And for those of you reading, before you disagree with me and tell me that your preferred search engine is as good as Google, go run the following search query and see how you fare: “Windows 8″ filetype:pdf | filetype:pptx | filetype:docx | filetype:ppt | filetype:doc | filetype:rtf site:download.microsoft.com | inurl:”ftp://”
That is a prime example of how advance users frequently search. And Google allows me to do that with a level of success that is unrivalled. If you are new to such queries then search for ‘Google search secrets’. The thought of Google ever getting rid of such advanced functionality frightens me, because the majority of people don’t have the need to search like that and Google is always seeking to make search easier for the majority. So, with that said, thank you, Google, for maintaining a subset of advanced operators with which to make the absolute most of your search engine. But I also have an opinion that Google have failed to see a success on most of their other products (like Google+).
And with that, I’ll bring my writing to a close. I wanted to add more than just the three companies above for products that touch my life on a daily basis, but such a list would have been ridiculous without limiting it to 3. After all, there are personalities like Bill Gates, Larry Page, and Thomas Jr. Watson; Motorola for my phone needs; Airtel as a cellular provider; Acer for my laptop PC needs; prominent hardware manufacturers Intel & AMD for my desktop PC needs; Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Dropbox for sharing and social needs; and the list just goes on and on and on and on and on.
It’s really easy to forget about – and even be critical of – the technology around you, so why not take a minute to reflect on some positive thoughts about the technology that enhances and enables your life? You may be surprised to find just how much you’ve come to take for granted! What are some of the products that enhance your life the most? Share your thoughts & keep up with everyday tech, follow me in twitter @aghils .
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