June 2011 | LaptopMD

Hardware + Software in the Cloud = The $99 Computer

Posted on June 15, 2011 | by Arthur Zilbermann | 1 Comment

We’re a mobile society. We like things now, the way we want them, without deviation. Cloud computing, at least in the beginning, will force all users to retrain themselves in how they use computer hardware and software in terms of flexibility and mobility. As you might be noticing throughout our series, cloud computing restricts the digital experience in one sense and expands it in another. The shifts that cloud computing bring will not only be in the concepts of online security in the cloud but the concepts of hardware and software will shift as well.

The Advent of Consumable Hardware

Cloud computing will spell the end of traditional hardware setups as more and more of the required computing power is done offsite rather than through the local computer. Existing cloud-based systems are already decreasing the dependence of the local computer by allowing you to access and view everything from any device, whether it’s from your iPhone or a friend’s computer. I’ve talked about Google’s Chromebook in the past and this is only the beginning of a new trend – one that threatens traditional business models… Computers will become more consumable and will either be offered at cheap prices to encourage the use of a particular cloud based system or will be offered at a subscription rate and you will pay as you go. Since cloud computing decreases the dependence of the local machine, it is easy for me to see a computer system existing soon that can be replaced for $99 rather than warranting necessary repair or upgrade. This advance will change how companies like LaptopMD operate. As we have for the past 15 years, though, we will continue to adapt to the changing technology market and continue to bring our expertise to bear. Technology service companies will always be needed and small business support will be a growing market in the coming years for us as companies look to outsource their hardware needs (even though they’ll be going to the cloud). Continue reading →

Future Tech: The Advent of Cloud Computing

Posted on June 13, 2011 | by Arthur Zilbermann | 2 Comments

Technology is an ever-shifting paradigm, as evidenced by the forthcoming Chromebook and last week’s announcement of Apple’s iCloud. When I first started working with computers no one knew what an iPod was and very few people had palm pilots (remember those!?). A major important shift that I’m seeing in technology nowadays is the move to the cloud or online based computing. With this shift, I see several inherent drawbacks for users and businesses alike but there are also several areas of promise. Over the next week I will take a look at the inherent drawbacks and the good possibilities that the future holds with the advent of cloud computing. Additionally, we will be looking at the benefits of cloud computing and end users can benefit from this shift.

What is Cloud Computing?

Cloud computing can be a vague term meaning several things. In the simplest sense the term can mean “online access to and storage of files and media traditionally stored one’s ‘local’ desktop”. In a more pure form, cloud computing is referred to as “interconnected but independent web apps accessed in a strictly online sense with little or no dependence of a local computer or storage apparatus”. The processing or ‘thinking’ power, a key component, is accomplished by the local machine in the first instance (largely described as a glorified online storage system with built-in sharing and viewing capabilities) and is handled by the online server rather than the local computer in the second definition, harkening back to the old ‘mainframe’ with a terminal which accesses different ‘offsite’ programs. Whatever the chosen application, the way consumers interact with their files is changing and that change will present many hurdles for consumers and companies alike. Continue reading →

Google Music: From the Cloud To Your Ears

Posted on June 8, 2011 | by Arthur Zilbermann | 5 Comments

Well, it looks like Google’s much-anticipated music streaming service is here. With little fanfare, as with most of their product roll-outs, Google has entered the highly competitive and exponentially growing cloud storage and streaming arena.

Google is no stranger to cloud storage(or at least semi-cloud, since so far most of these services don’t use real cloud technology but instead house the information in traditional data centers). In fact, Gmail has been a de-facto cloud storage service since it’s inception, when it promised to allow significantly more storage space than any other web-based mail service at the time. More recently, Google Docs has been a little-heralded but extremely useful cloud storage service. Though it started by only storing certain file formats, it has recently expanded to allow users to store any file they want on Google’s servers. Google Music is then a natural growth for the company, following a long and well-charted path that the company has been on since the beginning.

Continue reading →