A Departure: The Future of Computing
Lately I've been on a technology kick. 'Why,' you ask, 'wait until you are in the technological purgatory of sub-Saharan Africa to get interested in tech?' Perhaps absence does make the heart grow fonder. Also, technology presents a number of newfangled ideas for economic development in places like Gulu. So with that, I introduce you to the future of computing - the online operating system.
goowy media, inc. - maker of the goowy webtop and yourminis.com
Supposedly Goowy is the best so far, but it's going to get better. Google is going to launch a Webtop (as online operating systems are being called - a takeoff of "desktop") sometime soon. My estimate - inside of 2 years we'll see a Google webtop that will open up a revolutionary new door. No longer will you need a machine with powerful processors in order to create documents, edit photos, play music. It will all be done by Google's computes (see Google Docs for an example). No longer will you need a hard drive to store your files. They will all be stored on Google's disks (already Gmail, Google's email service, provides almost 3 gigabytes of storage per user).
The centralized computing and storage will achieve massive efficiencies of scale, cutting the cost of computing to a fraction of what it is now. And with Google's advertising acumen, there's a good chance that access to the webtop will be ad-supported, that is, free (as opposed to a traditional OS like Windows, which we all know costs a bundle).
The devices needed to access this service will be cheap as well, when compared to traditional PCs. All it will take is a screen that can connect to the internet. I call it a 'portal.' Since CPU and storage needs will fall to minimums, prices will plummet, which means that more people will have access to traditional computing applications like word processors and presentation programs. And since all your data is stored in Google's mainframe, it will be accessible from any computer, making computer labs, internet cafes, and community computer centers much more useful.
It is rumored that Google has just such a device in the works. Called the 'Switch' in the whirlwind world of tech rumors, the device is being painted as a competitor to the iPhone, but with at least one major difference: no storage in the device itself. All of your information and the phones applications are stored and processed in Google's mainframe. When a Google executive slipped and mentioned the device, she said that it would work in the developing world market.
This brings me to one of my main points: computers for development. When the price of computing plummets it will be that much more accessible to the developing world, if only that world has quality internet services. It seems to me that the price per capita of providing quality internet coverage should fall far below the cost of providing a computer to every family (or child, as the trend goes), especially in places like India where massive infrastructure is already in place. The question is, how are we going to prepare for this. And when it comes, how can we leverage the new connectedness and computing power of the poor for everyone's benefit.
For now, you might want to watch for a Goowy IPO and get in before Google buys them.
More thoughts to come after this random outburst? You'll have to wait and see...
UPDATE: Palm just announced the Foleo - a notebook computer with no hard drive, a stripped down operating system and a full-featured web browser. It claims instantaneous startup and 5 hours of battery life. It's meant primarily to sync with your smartphone, but it is essentially a portal. As for working with a webtop it's a bit ahead of its time. But I'd love to know how it works with Google's online apps.
goowy media, inc. - maker of the goowy webtop and yourminis.com
Supposedly Goowy is the best so far, but it's going to get better. Google is going to launch a Webtop (as online operating systems are being called - a takeoff of "desktop") sometime soon. My estimate - inside of 2 years we'll see a Google webtop that will open up a revolutionary new door. No longer will you need a machine with powerful processors in order to create documents, edit photos, play music. It will all be done by Google's computes (see Google Docs for an example). No longer will you need a hard drive to store your files. They will all be stored on Google's disks (already Gmail, Google's email service, provides almost 3 gigabytes of storage per user).
The centralized computing and storage will achieve massive efficiencies of scale, cutting the cost of computing to a fraction of what it is now. And with Google's advertising acumen, there's a good chance that access to the webtop will be ad-supported, that is, free (as opposed to a traditional OS like Windows, which we all know costs a bundle).
The devices needed to access this service will be cheap as well, when compared to traditional PCs. All it will take is a screen that can connect to the internet. I call it a 'portal.' Since CPU and storage needs will fall to minimums, prices will plummet, which means that more people will have access to traditional computing applications like word processors and presentation programs. And since all your data is stored in Google's mainframe, it will be accessible from any computer, making computer labs, internet cafes, and community computer centers much more useful.
It is rumored that Google has just such a device in the works. Called the 'Switch' in the whirlwind world of tech rumors, the device is being painted as a competitor to the iPhone, but with at least one major difference: no storage in the device itself. All of your information and the phones applications are stored and processed in Google's mainframe. When a Google executive slipped and mentioned the device, she said that it would work in the developing world market.
This brings me to one of my main points: computers for development. When the price of computing plummets it will be that much more accessible to the developing world, if only that world has quality internet services. It seems to me that the price per capita of providing quality internet coverage should fall far below the cost of providing a computer to every family (or child, as the trend goes), especially in places like India where massive infrastructure is already in place. The question is, how are we going to prepare for this. And when it comes, how can we leverage the new connectedness and computing power of the poor for everyone's benefit.
For now, you might want to watch for a Goowy IPO and get in before Google buys them.
More thoughts to come after this random outburst? You'll have to wait and see...
UPDATE: Palm just announced the Foleo - a notebook computer with no hard drive, a stripped down operating system and a full-featured web browser. It claims instantaneous startup and 5 hours of battery life. It's meant primarily to sync with your smartphone, but it is essentially a portal. As for working with a webtop it's a bit ahead of its time. But I'd love to know how it works with Google's online apps.
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posted by James at 08:14
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2 Comments:
Deciding to be in-intimidated, I spent a few hours on the plane this week with The World Is Flat. And considering you're sharpening your technological skills from Gulu, I think you've just added a page to Friedman's book.
Technology is one of the most paradoxical enjoyments for society. It simultaneously brings more freedom and opportunity, and requires us to surrender more and more private information over to companies, NGO's, government, etc. Wonderful developments, wonderful potential, but must be cautiously implemented.
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