The next couple of weeks will undoubtedly be all about the future of Windows with the launch of Windows 8 and Microsoft's Surface tablet coming on October 26th, but this rather informative infographic gives us a chance of taking a walk down memory lane and seeing the evolution of the company's much-loved software.
I'm not sure whether it's down to the fast-moving nature of technology, or our insatiable requirement as tech enthusiasts to be presented as something new, but whenever a new product - hardware or software - hits the market, it seems no sooner do we become acquainted with our new bit of kit than we look ahead to what's coming up next. Thus, with Android Jelly Bean 4.1.2 having begun trickling out to the Samsung-manufactured Galaxy Nexus among others, it's only fair we turn our attentions to the upcoming dose of Android - 4.2 - right?
Earlier, we revealed the a 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display was likely to drop alongside the iPad Mini later this month, and to add to those two significant releases, it looks as though the Mac mini will be getting a refresh in the image of the WWDC enhancements offered to the MacBook Air and Pro ranges.
Mobile gaming has evolved in leaps and bounds over the past five or so years, and although our smartphones and tablets now offer vast libraries of titles on a scale surpassing any other platform, the likes of iOS and Android still struggle to shake off the "casual" gaming tag thanks to the high volumes of simple-yet-addictive pick-up, put-down offerings.
Quite a few months ago, we learned Google could be plotting to release a bunch of Nexus branded devices this fall (as many as five), and the way rumors and speculation have been flying around with regards to a number of would-be Nexus OEMs, that forecast is looking more and more on the money. Sony is the latest company to join the rumor mill, and its supposed "Nexus X" device has now allegedly been spotted in the wild.
As part of the next unique press event that will be organized to introduce us to the smaller mid-range iPad, Apple will also be announcing the much-anticipated 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display. The information regarding the intention to announce the new MacBook is coming directly from a well-placed source within a high profile retail outlet in the United States and is said to be consistently accurate with the information that is provided.
Although Facebook's IPO may not have taken off as successfully as Mark Zuckerberg and his team would perhaps have liked, there's little doubting the work ethic of Facebook in 2012. The mobile app finally seems to have been taken care of, and among a continual stream of new features and performance enhancements, the News Feed now supports the use of emoticons in comments.
The new and extremely useful Passbook app has now been an official part of iOS for nearly a month, and although a number of high profile companies are starting to create their own virtual coupons and cards to be used within the app, it could really do with some high profile support to give it the boost that it deserves. It looks as if that boost could arrive quite soon, with the news that Apple themselves are extending their in-store payment capabilities to support their own Passbook creation for iOS 6 users.
Microsoft seems to be getting pretty good at producing video commercials that make their products stand out from the rest. I'm pretty sure we have all seem the wonderful TV commercial for Internet Explorer that makes us actually want to give IE a second chance. Apart from that, we also recently saw the first Windows 8 ad going live that introduces us to the OS.
Users of iOS 6 will be more than aware by now that Google's powerful Maps app is no longer part of Apple's plans, with the latest iteration of the company's mobile operating system shipping with their own mapping solution in place of it. It doesn't really matter what your personal opinions are on the subject and whether you love or hate the Apple’s very own Maps app, the fact remains that competition always breeds innovation and having an official Google Maps app on the App Store can only be a good thing for iOS users.

