I have written my own Mac vs. PC Pros & Cons article a few days ago. Today I want to take a different approach, and try to put both Mac and PC on the stand. I want to better understand how will cloud technology will influence the path of software and hardware companies like Microsoft, Apple and other corporations. As you know, today most richest Internet application & mobile application, also utilizes client software. Both Bill Gates and Steve Jobs agree that there is a large amount of possibilities that still need to be unveiled, prior moving to the cloud. Actually, they both agree that in the following years, client based application will still have the larger market share. This is off-topic, but I have no where else to share my thoughts, so I hope that you will find it interesting enough.
Client-Based Application vs. Web-Based Applications
The advantages of using client-based applications (aka Software) are many. The Internet community compares client based applications vs. cloud applications (SaaS) with its pros & cons. Bill Gates mentioned in an interview, that the responsiveness of client application is better than what can be achieved using online applications and web browsers. When I first heard that argument, I thought that something is being told with a lack of integrity. I think that the future belongs to the cloud (aka SaaS). I will try to better explain what I think about that.When you look at a website like any other application, the browser is your tool. When you run Google Docs for example, and compare it to Microsoft Word, there are pros & cons for every side. Today you can connect to a remote application server and run Microsoft Word online with only an Internet connection. Of course it can be any kind of software like games, video rendering, 3D modeling application and so on. When you run an application like Word on a remote server, the application utilizes the resources of the remote server. The advantages are huge. That means that you only need to have a fast Internet connection and a very low-end hardware specification to make it work.
Online Gaming Industry
In the video games' industry, have already seen some companies that try to shift the gaming technology to move to the cloud. On of those companies is OnLive, which has launched a cloud-based gaming service. This cloud-based gaming service allows gamers to play Xbox 360 & Playstation 3 console games, right through their browser, using broadband Internet connection. That means that you don't have to buy gaming consoles, and if it is the latest PC game, you won't need to buy expensive hardware to run it at full FPS. Using streaming technology, the data is passed through to the user screen. That means that by paying a low subscription fee, you can play thousands of games and the latest titles, without buying the game at high cost or the console in that matter. It also means that all the saved data will be online. Multiplayer games will probably become the next big hit in the near future (ex. World of Warcraft).But of course it is not only about games, but any application that is available today. As Wi-Fi Internet connections become more and more spread, and broadband Internet connectivity becomes cheaper, it seems that the ground is becoming more ready for future technologies that the cloud offers. In 5 years from now, Wireless connection will be almost everywhere. Actually, you will probably won't need a wired Internet connection (like DSL) anymore. The servers who will run all those applications and games, will be managed by the hosting service company, which will upgrade the hardware in a short period of time, ensuring the highest comparability and latest hardware specs.
Office Web Applications
You probably wondered why business software like Microsoft Office in not available fully online. Well, Microsoft has already started its own version of Online Office services (Microsoft Office Web Apps), which you can be found on OfficeLive.com website.It means that you can view and edit Microsoft Office documents from ever you go, similar to Google Docs. It has a full integration comparability with the client software too, Even so, the SaaS solution won't give you the same user experience that you are used to, by using the Software itself. Maybe it is done deliberately, or just the market is not ready for this technology yet. The advantages of using online environments are immense. Business SaaS applications offer easy collaboration between several editors, even in real-time, like Google Docs. The main target it to create a simple and easy to use interface, yet smart environment that will take advantage of the 'cloud' online services. Integration between online apps can be achieved using web services (API). This way, different applications can connect and talk with each other and share information.
We can already see the market shifting from desktop computers to laptops. Mobile smartphones are almost in everyone's pockets, and Apps sells are over the roof. One of the best proofs that cloud applications are so popular and will keep that way, are online communities like Facebook and Flickr. I will not be surprised that online services will take benefit of the popularity of online communities, and integration between them will take place very soon.
Cloud Computing Environments
Google is probably one of the main companies that will be based its future innovations and products as online services in the 'cloud'. That leads me to another topic, which is directly related to cloud architecture, and this is Cloud hosting environments. This is another example of truly unique innovation that was intelligently implemented. If you are a programmer or web designer, you have probably come across Amazon Elastic Computer Cloud (Amazon EC2) and Google's cloud hosting (Google Apps). Today 'Cloud' computing/hosting are becoming more and more popular. The benefits of using cloud services are tremendous: Scalability, Security, easy implementation, virtually unlimited resources, pay only for used resources (lower costs), etc. Cloud computing and virtualization is the future, and many hosting companies have started immigrating to Cloud computing, enables them to allow better services to their customers.Google Chrome OS
As you remember, I was starting this article, talking about Microsoft and Apple. I think that many of today's debates will be out of the topic in a few years from now. I think Apple is the first company that needs to learn the market movements, because it's based core business is related to hardware manufacturing, along with software developing. Microsoft will need to take a closer look at Google, and learn from its technology innovations, starting to create the new cloud-based technology and services, that will lead us forward.Google has already announced its Chrome OS. Google's Chrome OS is designed exclusively to work seamlessly with web applications. Google Chrome OS was mainly intended for netbooks and not PCs. Furthermore, and according to Wikipedia, Google has requested that its hardware partners will implement a SSD drives to allow higher responsiveness, performance and reliability. Netbooks are inferior to Laptops and Desktop PCs of course, but they needn't have high-end hardware, because all the computing resources will take place on the cloud.
Mobile Apps
The iPhone and Android devices are among the most popular in the world. Both Apple and Google has conquered most of the smartphones OS market share. Apple has grabbed a large market share with its iPhone 3G/3GS/4, and connecting to worldwide consumers, that are not Apple fan-boys. Google has later introduced its open-source Android OS. Today Google is biting a very large market share, and keeps its exponential growth, not showing any sign of stopping. Apple is selling millions of iPhone/iPad/iPod mobile apps every year, leveraging from its devices' popularity worldwide.Today you can find Twitter & Facebook's application in almost every available smartphone. The need for people to always be connected with their friends, drives the software industry to develop more online community-based products, which are seamlessly integrated with the mobile app for the best user experience.
Photography & The Cloud
As photographers, we are engaging online web applications in almost every day. Mostly when we want to share images online, we use online services like Flickr, pBase, PictureTrail, Facebook, SmugMug and others. We meet other photographers in online communities, use online hosting services to create own own photography blogs, Portfolio minisites and websites. Everything is done ONLINE. Photographer even have the option to edit their photos online using dedicated image editing SaaS solutions like: pixlr, picnik, Fotoflexer and many others. This kind of online SaaS services are becoming so popular, that every week we hear about new online applications for specific uses. I even think that the most popular online applications are related to digital photography. When mobile smartphones became a consumer product, many people take photographs using their built-in digital camera and upload it ti online image sharing websites.
Even now, you have many options to store and backup your memories online, keeping them safe for many years to come. Today, off-line software is still the best choice for professional use. After all, you don't want to upload Gigabytes of data online. So in many cases, many people store their media assets (images & videos) offline in internal hard drives and external backup drives. When Internet broadband connection will become much faster and cheaper, we will see more affordable solutions for storing multimedia assets online, rather than offline.
The Future is in the Clouds
Overall, the shift to cloud-based services as already took place. It will become more and more common in the next few years from now. The company that will mange to make a smoother shift towards the cloud (and make it soon), will probably be the one to control the Internet sphere in the future. However, our eyes are not only towards Google, Microsoft, Apple & Facebook, but also towards new startup companies. A large cooperation has the funds to make this happen fast, no doubt about it. Even so, I think that some revolutionary products will come from new startup companies, that will dare taking the risk. I would like to hear your opinion about this [off topic] article. I know that many of my blog readers are tech savvies, and I am sure that you have your own opinion about it. So please share it.You can also read my blog post about Photography Technology & Innovations.
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