The current state of healthcare delivery, and specifically electronic medical records (EMR), is reminiscent of the state of office productivity software in the business world during the ’90s.
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During the late ’80s and into the ’90s, WordPerfect, Microsoft Word and a host of lesser word processors battled for supremacy in the business world. Each had their pros and cons, but the global economy would really explode in the late ’90s once one of these titans became the industry standard.
Apple had conceded the desktop operating system wars to Microsoft well in advance of the battle for word processing champion. By the time the best OS Microsoft has ever produced (prior to Windows 10) – Windows XP – was released, Apple was well into its process of reinventing itself as a consumer oriented, and not an enterprise-focused, company.
We know what’s transpired since Microsoft out marketed both Apple (for desktop computer OS supremacy) and the makers of WordPerfect as the word processing gold standard.
Apple went on to claim smartphone dominance – and Microsoft similarly handled rival Novell and Corel versions of WordPerfect to become office productivity suite king.
Apple beat out the late-to-the-table Windows Phones and holds on to the top spot today over Android-based versions.
So, to date:
Microsoft becomes king of the desktop computer operating system and achieves recognition as business world, word processing and office productivity suite software standard bearer.
Apple becomes king of the smartphone before Microsoft even becomes a player.
Number 1 actually encompasses two things, but they happened around the same time and were interrelated by virtue of the fact that Word, Excel and PowerPoint run on both Windows and Macs – the unquestioned business world, office suite standard for both computing platforms.
Number 2 is just a statement of clear cut dominance by Apple in the smartphone vertical segment.
What the world is waiting for now is a good old-fashioned heavyweight rubber match between Apple and Microsoft; well, it might not be waiting for it, but in the name of healthcare, it should be hoping for it.
Some would say this is not likely as neither is a company that competes so much as complements one another at this time.
Microsoft recently closed on its acquisition of LinkedIn. (I’m still waiting to see how that one turns out. LinkedIn has received somewhat of a facelift and makeover. It also doesn’t let me post the same material twice anymore on the social network for professionals going places, but I digress.)
Articles source: computerworld- www.computerworld.com
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