It’s impossible these days to talk about Web services without mentioning Google, which continued to focus squarely on improving the use of its wide array of online-based products in 2008. The company remained an important member of the Apple ecosystem, continuing to offer its Google Apps, releasing applications for the iPhone and iPod touch, and releasing a new version of SketchUp.

Virtualization marches on

Parallels and VMware continued working their way into the daily lives of many Mac users by improving their virtualization software for Intel-based Macs. Parallels Desktop 4 and were both released; the latter product mated to an Xserve makes for a powerful virtualization environment for businesses, while the added a multitude of ease-of-use features.

software aimed at similar territory as its competitor, breaking down the walls between Mac and Windows use to create as seamless a user experience as possible. More than two years after running an OS other than Mac OS X on a Mac became a possibility, this segment of the software market is still thriving.

Return of the clones?