Tech by PC

This topic has been debated for many years with pontificators claiming that the appliance computer had arrived, yet we still see tremendous progress in processor speed and capability, hard drive space, video cards, and so on. I have usually disagreed with these statements, instead believing that software and people’s desire for and immersive and fluid computing experience, would continue to drive technology beyond the appliance stage. I will now join the ranks and claim that the appliance computer is at hand, however I do not believe that it will take over the computer market. Instead I believe that it is targeted at the next tier of potential Internet users. Three legs of the appliance computing platform now exist – enough to make the platform able to stand on its own. This article discusses the three legs that exist now and the fourth that will complete this platform and usher in the era of appliance computing.

This appliance computer does not yet have a standard shape, it takes on many forms such as small desktops and netbooks, but it does rely on a standard processor platform: The Intel Atom CPU. This CPU is low power yet performs from a subjective viewpoint as well as my first Pentium 4 machine. It can run Windows XP, Vista Basic, or a friendly Linux distribution quite easily. It is the operating system that builds the second leg of this new appliance computer. User friendly Linux has the advantage of working without the need of a corporation’s upgrade cycle. Companies such as Microsoft have build their busines model on the continual production of new software while discontinuing old software. This model does not support the appliance computer model at all, because the whole point of an appliance is that you can keep it around for a decade or longer and it still does the same job that it did when it was new. Linux is supported by a community that is not going to go away, and a properly secured Linux machine can survive for years without being upgraded or running virus software, not that I would recommend the lack of upgrades. The third leg that this appliance platform is built upon is software as a service, computing in the cloud, web applications, or remote access. Take your pick of what you want to call it or how you want to use it, but leg three is the decentralization of software applications such as email and word processing.

It is only recently that all three of these legs have been firmly established in order to support the appliance computer platform. Without one of the three the other two would not stand on their own. For example, we have had low end processors in the past such as offerings from Cyrix, VIA, and Transmeta. These were mildly successful products, however because they did not have the support of a generally accepted appliance-like operating system, or web software applications that could meet all the needs of users, they ultimately did not find the success they could otherwise have found.

The fourth leg is ubiquitous network connectivity. This is the leg that has not yet fully developed. While the technology does exist to give a user connectivity in a large number of areas, it is not ubiquitous, affordable, or always practical. A Verizon wireless customer would be disappointed where I live, and an ATT customer would be disappointed 5 miles south of where I live. There is no platform that crosses these boundaries while maintaining a reliable network connection. Cost raises the barrier to entry beyond the interests of most people. As far as practicality goes, this speaks to bandwidth limitations, traffic caps (disclosed and undisclosed), overage charges, and even limits on what a user is allowed to do with the service. Verizon, for example, forbids downloading media such as MP3s with their Broadbandaccess service, or using their service as a full-time Internet connection at home.

Appliance computing can survive without ubiquitous network connectivity, and I believe that the Atom CPU found in Netbooks such as the Eee PC from Asus, the Dell Mini 9, and some small desktop machines such as the Dell Studio Hybrid, and the MSI Wind PC, will be the hardware platform that ushers this in. Linux will be the Operating System of choice due to its focused feature set, lack of constant required maintenance, and indefinite free support. Web applications are driven by no clear winner at this time, however Amazon’s S3 has the most affordable online storage mechanism, Google has a respectable set of office applications, and Open Office provides applications that run on the appliance itself at no cost.

This does not mean the end of traditional computing, however. As I mentioned earlier, this technology is for the next 50 million or so Internet users. Many people who are already on the Internet will enjoy Internet appliances for simplicity, low cost, and portability. Those who are not will appreciate the low cost, user friendliness, and lack of constant maintenance required. There is still plenty of room at the top for high end PCs that can play video games, perform intensive computing applications, and run a wide variety of software to support business users. I predict that the gap between these two platforms will further widen until we see the true birth of a appliance PC that looks much different from a regular PC.

This is not the end of traditional computing, but rather the birth of appliance computing that is strong and stable enough to stand on its own. My prediction is that the computer appliance has begun to arrive, but will appeal to a new set of Internet users much more than those who already have computers.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 10th, 2008 at 12:05 am and is filed under Hardware. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.