Schwartz: PCs are yesterday's technology

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I think you are confused, NC's are gone!

He is talking about small mobile devices that are used by more people than a PC or laptop, here is the first indicator:

what has become important are Web services on the Internet and the mobile phones most will use to access them

Further supporting arguements (regarding Web Services, think SOAP, .NET, Jabber,...):

The majority of the applications that will drive the next wave of innovation will be services, not applications that run on the desktop.

The NC is just a thin client device that sends a deskop from a server somewhere, basically does the same thing as running (in software) VNC ( http://www.realvnc.com/), RDP (http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/techinfo/howitworks/terminal/rdpfandp.asp) or Windows Terminal Services (http://www.microsoft.com/Windows2000/technologies/terminal/default.mspx).

the issue is: how do people use the data and services. If you are doing AutoCAD, you will need a desktop or mobile workstation (high end laptop with 1600x1200 screen). If you are just accessing data (driving directions, etc.), youdon't need to lump a laptop for that. Besides, corporate data is lifted off of laptops all the time!

He points to actual businesses that illustrate his point:

eBay, Google, Yahoo and Amazon.com, that profit from free services available over the network.

He points out in the article how people access data (not do CAD or some other business application).

Not only are services moving to the network, Schwartz said, but PCs won't be the way people use those services--particularly in poorer areas of the world

He goes on about Sun servers but it could also be hosted on Windows or Linux or..., so that doesn't really help a case for Sun. The point being that people are accessing data (like GPS data, TV on the phone (Verizon, iirc), email, ...). This is the sort of stuff that people (who are not computer geeks, AutoCAD users, techies or other techno geeks) do with PC's. They do a limited set of opperations: communications (checking mail), simple documents and maybe spreadsheets. They are not interested in AutoCAD, ERP, CRM, etc.

He makes the arguement that information is far more important than some PC

Our collective generation believes the desktop PC is the most important thing to give to people. I don't buy that. The most important thing to give is access to the Internet.

and the Internet is full of information, so you can draw your own conclusions. You are using the Internet when you repond to an article here (or just read news, send email, check you stocks, etc.).

He concludes with hints like:

The Internet has clearly become, as electricity and railroads did before it, a social utility

The last 2 paragraphs hint to this also:

One case in point was visible with the online classified ad site Craigslist during the effort to cope with the Katrina hurricane that devastated states on the Gulf Coast. And he expects more with the approach of the next storm, Rita.

"The Internet--and one organization in particular called Craigslist--played an absolutely central role to recovery efforts," Schwartz said. "While the Federal Emergency Management Agency was stumbling and trying to figure out how to present its information, Craigslist was providing a connection vehicle for people who wanted to find their friends, their family members, their pets."

Do you get it yet?

Posted by: B.O.F.H.   Posted on: 09/24/05 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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