Technology and Strategy - Where are we heading

Time in Internet is fast, but not that fast. Applications need time to develop and we witness how they appear in waves, building one on top of the other.

This week has been a good example of this.

We have seen how MS tries to compete, one more time, with Google trying to get a piece of the huge search market.

How MS innovates with a radically new User Interface in a mainstream product : the Xbox.

Intel moving to the embedded software arena with the acquisition of WindRiver.

Google betting in a new mail system that combines instant message, with collaboration and traditional threat based mail.

Therefore we have seen companies exploring. Going out of their franchises into new ventures characterized by new markets (for them) or new products. Many of this exploration had innovation as its main lever (but the acquisition of Intel).

There is though, a common denominator. They are all platform offerings that aim to leverage on the imagination, willingness and insight of thousand of companies and developers who will provide the real meat.

Sometime ago, the Internet crafted the term the winner gets all, referring to the power law nature of web traffic. Now this is again the moto, but the moto of the platforms. Not relevant second places anymore out there !