In a recent post on Rough Type (see: Devices for the deviceless), Nick Carr raises the fascinating topic of the webtop, a virtual desktop that will be managed in the cloud. He suggests that the webtop will provide personalized computing for cybernomads around the world who do not own a PC and thus need to patronize cybercafes. I have posted previous notes about the cloud which is merely a fancy term for a linked set of servers around the world working in concert to provide powerful computer and data storage services. Below is an excerpt from his note (boldface emphasis mine):
There are an estimated half of a billion people in the world who surf the Net every day yet don't own a computer...Cloud computing is ideally suited to these so-called cybernomads, as it can provide them with, in essence, a computer to call their own - a virtual desktop, or "webtop," that exists entirely in an online data center and hence can be accessed from any PC. Cybernomads can use their password-protected webtops to run applications, store data, and share files with others. Webtops can provide an attractive alternative to the cheap laptops....Virtual PCs are more energy efficient than real PCs, they don't wear out or require physical maintenance, and they can often be provided free, through ad-supported or other subsidized programs....As bandwidth costs fall and web apps proliferate, the webtop model becomes more viable in more places. The BBC today reports on a European startup, Jooce, that is emerging as a leader in the field.....Jooce is far from the only company in this business. It's an increasingly crowded field, spanning not only companies serving the poor but also companies supplying virtual desktops to businesses to reduce PC maintenance costs and hassles.... After all, aren't we all becoming cybernomads?
This note brought to mind the notion of the network appliance that was proposed a decade or more ago. It was a sealed-case inexpensive device designed primarily to provide web access. The idea never achieved much traction in the market because the cost of full-featured PCs and laptops continued to plummet and sold for less than the network appliances that offered less functionality and flexibility. It occurred to me that a rough analogue of the network appliance today is the web-enabled cell phone, many of which now have small but usable touch-sensitive screens and the portability that is important for cybernomads. Therefore, cell phones could provide access to a virtual desktop for the mobile professionals I care most about -- physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who don't have constant access to their office PCs.
Such a virtual desktop (i.e., webtop) could be easily synchronized with one's physical desktop at home or in the office to provide access to the same files and the same applications regardless of whether you were on the run (with cellphone) or working. Like Nick, I am certain that companies like Google, or its competitors, would provide free access to such a webtop for anyone who wanted one. After all, such a webtop would provide much more virtual "real estate" that Google could then populate with ads. This would merely be an extension of their current successful business model -- ads placed on the search engine retrieval page (SERP) (see: A Brief Discourse on the Economics of Blogging).
This is really great. Long time fan of google for their minimalistic-functional approach. i am using their google documents app to organize a summer meeting right now - spread sheets, registration forms, announcements on the fly. Just saw jooce. Does this pose a threat to the traditional model? May be not for some years...
Posted by: Joy Mammen | March 07, 2008 at 10:34 AM