Startups want to be the 'Microsoft Office for drones'

It seems that drones are getting more advanced and useful each day. The next frontier of the technology is likely the further computerization of UAVs. While drones have been good for photographers looking to get good aerial shots that were previously expensive, they are now being used to improve safety and cost effectiveness in the workplace.

This has resulted in what the Verge calls "the race... to be the Microsoft Office for drones." The Verge singles out San Francisco, California-based startup Airware because it scored recently additional $30 million in funding, but the company has competitors such as Drone Deploy and SkyCatch.

What makes these drones and services similar to Microsoft Office, according to the Verge, is that they are catering to large companies that need to get work done more efficiently. Airware signed an agreement with State Farm, allowing the insurance agency to use its services to assess rooftops, which could simplify things for insurance inspectors in the future.

It is likely that people will start seeing drones with more complex computers inside or possibly with computer boxes attached. Last year, DJI announced a computer for drones that it made with the help of Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu Linux. The capability of this platform relies largely on third-party developers. The fact that this platform is built on top of an open-source OS is good for smaller suppliers, but they largely have not jumped on this opportunity yet.