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New Operating Systems

By: Charlene Blohm

8/1/2008

  1. How do I calculate schools' OS plans into my sales plans?

    You should be on top of your customers' hardware-buying plans, because that's the time they are most likely to upgrade or switch to a new OS. If your solutions optimize the newest Mac or Windows OS, or work under Linux, those products need to be in front of your upgrading customers. You can also try to anticipate the market. Years ago, when Apple first introduced the Macintosh to schools, one software company created a dozen titles for it, compared to the one or two titles of their competitors. As a result, that company had a huge leg up on the subsequent explosion in the school Mac market.

  2. What's in the future for schools and OS?

    New Operating SystemsExpect to see more non-desktop hardware platforms, such as e-books, smart-phones, and PDAs, some based on Leopard/Vista/Linux, others employing proprietary operating systems designed for more narrow, vertical applications. Website-based packages that require no specific OS, just a standard internet browser, also are growing in popularity, along with web-based browser services (i.e., Google apps, .Mac, Windows "Live"), available for free or on a subscription basis.


Charlene Blohm is president of C. Blohm & Associates, Inc., a public relations firm serving the education industry.