The Computer Electronics Show in Vegas this week will of course showcase gadgets like Google’s new Nexus One phone and the tablet offering by Microsoft and HP (which the companies hope will trump Apple’s so-called iSlate to be unveiled later this month). Yet in a world with three billion consumed iPhone apps, the real story is how applications will drive these mobile and portable devices.
Google has as much as said that the Nexus One phone more than anything is a commercial for its Android mobile software and the more than 20,000 apps available in the Android Market. Beyond being the carrier for the iPhone, AT&T is betting the company on mobile apps by offering five Android-based smart phones and two new Palm OS phones in the first half of 2010.
The Big Kahuna, of course, is the Apple iSlate Tablet slated for debut on January 27 and available to consumers sometime in March. When Apple CEO Steve Jobs reportedly infers that the 8-to-11 inch device will forever change how we consume content, you can bet the farm that the company will harness its unparalleled success with iPhone apps to offer an even more robust app-driven experience on the iSlate.
So, when you are touring through the exhibits at CES looking at state-of-the-art electronics equipment (or following everything from a remote distance), remember that the real magic in the months and years to come will be provided by the application-based operating systems that power those devices.
