Netbooks May Disrupt Cloud Computing

A few months ago I blogged about the Three Horsemen of the Coming Network Revolution. One of those “horsemen” was the netbook computer. Now Microsoft (MSFT) wants to rename it. Maybe it has something to do with the impact of the netbook on the hard drive PC market and the powerful relationship with robust, pre-loaded operating systems and software.

The netbook could decouple that relationship, hence the silly idea of a name change and a recent JavaOne Conference headline: “Ellison: Java-based Netbooks on Sun’s Horizon.” Netbooks could disrupt the playing field by transforming how endpoints interact with the cloud versus the hard drive.

That won’t be an overnight change, but it is one of notable proportions. Various service providers (and endpoint players like Apple (AAPL)) can offer suites of applications architected for cloud demands; flash memory players can compete with the hard drive posse; and new cloud architected semiconductor chips can unhinge the power of legacy expertise and architecture.

We’re possibly entering a new and exciting era for network infrastructure that will force innovation out of what have become a tired network and a stagnant pre-load PC industry today docked in the port of commoditization as the storm approaches. New competitors, new potentials and new relationships will have more opportunity than ever; and the old guard needs to rethink the new infrastructure 2.0.

This is a bigger challenge than a netbook renaming project. It will require vision, agility and momentum. For some players these are not core strengths.

Disclosure: I am a senior director at Infoblox. No positions.

Comments

[BeachRider:]

Citrix was a prime purveyor of this application architecture for several years. Customers are feeling that whole-PC workstations are too-much when they need to deploy hundreds/thousands of them throughout their enterprise. The problem is that these technologies only move the problem somewhere else, they don't really solve it. The Citrix server becomes a contentious intersection of desktop-displacement and application-presentation. The Cloud needs more detail before it will have credibility that it has solved this problem.

Jun 05 07:29 AM

[Eric the Ca...:]

The emails and documents I never lose are on Gmail and Google Documents, though I get no guarantee that they won't be lost. I think tons of old email is still there on Yahoo! mail as well.

Meanwhile data on my hard drives... old PC, new PC, new lap top, re-imaged new laptop, re-re-imaged new laptop, and home network drives *should* still be there, if I can find it. I literally have a box of PC hard drives full of data at home, the PC and laptops have long passed away.

The Cloud has been here a bit, it does not solve all problems, but it is gaining momentum and becoming more robust and interesting as it develops

Jun 05 02:09 PM

[Gregory Ness:]

I think networks will have to me more intelligent, powerful and dynamic for them to replace the level of communications that takes place between apps and processors on the modern laptop.

Thx
G

Jun 06 09:28 PM

[jessho:]

no new era, just smaller computers and some new cool websites.

i don't really take anything away from this article. netbooks will encourage the cloud if anything, and let's call the cloud what it really is, the internet. also, not too long ago in computer science we had diskless terminals. they were very common in businesses during the 80s.


microsoft doesn't like netbooks because many of them ship with linux.

microsoft doesn't have a truely 'lean' operating system, netbooks came along and suprised them. i would wager that microsoft never thought technology would take a step back in performance so they kept on pushing more and more resource intensive operating systems.

Jun 08 10:34 AM