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TechnographFirefox, Gmail top PC World's list of 100 best computer products of 2005
By John Ostrowski
Posted: 11/29/05 Section: Features
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Part of the problem in spreading Firefox is many people's fear of change. That statement may sound ridiculous, but my experience leads me to believe that it is true. Tell anyone using Internet Explorer about Firefox's awesomeness, and they respond with skepticism and dismissal. It's an uphill battle to convince Explorer users to try Firefox, but once they try it, the rest is relatively easy.
The second spot belongs to Gmail, Google's free mail service that currently offers about 2.7 gigabytes of storage space. I'm sure we can all remember the time when Hotmail and Yahoo Mail ruled the web, offering 15 megabytes of space (which were filled up with spam in a matter of days). Of course, other email services have evolved over time to offer more space, but Gmail still offers the best service overall.
And the third spot belongs to Apple's new operating system, Tiger. I'm still using Windows XP Pro here, but I have experienced Tiger and it is, of course, better. And it will probably be better than Vista when it debuts.
It's important to note here that in this list of 100 products, there are five made by Apple; including Tiger, iTunes, the Mac Mini, the iPod Photo, and the iTunes Music Store. The only product that Microsoft had in the top 100 came in at 47 and was Windows Media Player 10. Apple's counterpart, iTunes, registered at 34. To be fair, Microsoft focuses more on its operating system and software, and probably did not have as many products eligible for the list. However, their media player was trounced by Apple. And Vista probably should have been released by now, but has been repeatedly delayed. Had it been released, Tiger probably would have bested it.
Also notable: Google search engine at 16 and Wikipedia at 60. If I were to make a list of my favorites from 2005, those two and the top three would probably be up there, along with iTunes and its music store. Those seven items are my favorites of 2005. Now, to be fair, my experience with most of the other products listed is nonexistent. I've heard good things about Motorola's Razr and Valve's Half-Life 2, but haven't actually used them. Others I've used on a limited basis (Opera) and recognize as good, and others I've used on a limited basis (NY Times On the Web, Google Desktop) and believe probably don't merit a place on the list.
But the important thing to take away from this list is that while Microsoft's competitors are on it (Firefox and Opera for browsers, Apple's Tiger and iTunes), all Microsoft can answer for is the media player. And they lost even on that one.
John Ostrowski is a junior in communications. His column appears on Tuesdays. He can be reached at features@dailyillini.com.
The second spot belongs to Gmail, Google's free mail service that currently offers about 2.7 gigabytes of storage space. I'm sure we can all remember the time when Hotmail and Yahoo Mail ruled the web, offering 15 megabytes of space (which were filled up with spam in a matter of days). Of course, other email services have evolved over time to offer more space, but Gmail still offers the best service overall.
And the third spot belongs to Apple's new operating system, Tiger. I'm still using Windows XP Pro here, but I have experienced Tiger and it is, of course, better. And it will probably be better than Vista when it debuts.
It's important to note here that in this list of 100 products, there are five made by Apple; including Tiger, iTunes, the Mac Mini, the iPod Photo, and the iTunes Music Store. The only product that Microsoft had in the top 100 came in at 47 and was Windows Media Player 10. Apple's counterpart, iTunes, registered at 34. To be fair, Microsoft focuses more on its operating system and software, and probably did not have as many products eligible for the list. However, their media player was trounced by Apple. And Vista probably should have been released by now, but has been repeatedly delayed. Had it been released, Tiger probably would have bested it.
Also notable: Google search engine at 16 and Wikipedia at 60. If I were to make a list of my favorites from 2005, those two and the top three would probably be up there, along with iTunes and its music store. Those seven items are my favorites of 2005. Now, to be fair, my experience with most of the other products listed is nonexistent. I've heard good things about Motorola's Razr and Valve's Half-Life 2, but haven't actually used them. Others I've used on a limited basis (Opera) and recognize as good, and others I've used on a limited basis (NY Times On the Web, Google Desktop) and believe probably don't merit a place on the list.
But the important thing to take away from this list is that while Microsoft's competitors are on it (Firefox and Opera for browsers, Apple's Tiger and iTunes), all Microsoft can answer for is the media player. And they lost even on that one.
John Ostrowski is a junior in communications. His column appears on Tuesdays. He can be reached at features@dailyillini.com.
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