What you have here folks is the beginning of the end of the PC industry. This is the perfect Software as a Service appliance, at the right price point (and it will drop) to be a game changer.
Let's see, it does what 98% percent of people spend 99% of their time doing with a computer:
*** 1) Use the Internet (which with SaaS now includes everything from games to word processing to accounting) *** 2) Check email (see number 1) 3) Do homework (see number 1) 4) Do home bookkeeping (see number 1) 5) Instant Message/Voip/Video Chat (See number 1) 6) Do light duty office work (See number 1) 7) Casual Gaming (See number 1)
Computer Repair Shops - Sell your stock! - Repair it? (ROFL) Sorry, no, if a factory restore won't fix it, just buy another one. Linux on the Desktop - Why bother? At this price point, where's the advantage? What few companies still write desktop software over the next few years won't be able to afford to support multiple platforms. When the Browser finally becomes the OS (within 5 years for most things) and the manufacturers finally feel comfortable skipping that $5-10 license fee...it just won't matter anymore. Mac - It's all downhill from here folks, see Linux comments.
From here on out, the ONLY thing keeping the PC industry going is going to be enthusiast gaming and the limited number of demanding commercial applications like Adobe Creative Suite. I don't know of anyone that edits home movies, and heck, I just can't think of anything else "demanding" on a home computer. Really, the 2GB dual core version will make even background security software a non-issue.
As for SaaS, things are rapidly shaping up nicely there. If Mint.com finally get's around to adding a "cash" category that I can update myself, well, that's close enough to Quicken that I don't need to buy that software. Photo editing? Photoshop Elements online works fine for me. And so forth.
Next step? Get rid of the DVD drive. Shrink the box even more, just a handful of USB jacks, speaker jack, VGA, and HDMI. Move to USB3 (sufficient to replace HDMI) and you'll have a reasonably competent PC the size of a power brick and dumped on the floor with them.
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What you have here folks is the beginning of the end of the PC industry. This is the perfect Software as a Service appliance, at the right price point (and it will drop) to be a game changer.
Let's see, it does what 98% percent of people spend 99% of their time doing with a computer:
*** 1) Use the Internet (which with SaaS now includes everything from games to word processing to accounting) ***
2) Check email (see number 1)
3) Do homework (see number 1)
4) Do home bookkeeping (see number 1)
5) Instant Message/Voip/Video Chat (See number 1)
6) Do light duty office work (See number 1)
7) Casual Gaming (See number 1)
Computer Repair Shops - Sell your stock! - Repair it? (ROFL) Sorry, no, if a factory restore won't fix it, just buy another one.
Linux on the Desktop - Why bother? At this price point, where's the advantage? What few companies still write desktop software over the next few years won't be able to afford to support multiple platforms. When the Browser finally becomes the OS (within 5 years for most things) and the manufacturers finally feel comfortable skipping that $5-10 license fee...it just won't matter anymore.
Mac - It's all downhill from here folks, see Linux comments.
From here on out, the ONLY thing keeping the PC industry going is going to be enthusiast gaming and the limited number of demanding commercial applications like Adobe Creative Suite. I don't know of anyone that edits home movies, and heck, I just can't think of anything else "demanding" on a home computer. Really, the 2GB dual core version will make even background security software a non-issue.
As for SaaS, things are rapidly shaping up nicely there. If Mint.com finally get's around to adding a "cash" category that I can update myself, well, that's close enough to Quicken that I don't need to buy that software. Photo editing? Photoshop Elements online works fine for me. And so forth.
Next step? Get rid of the DVD drive. Shrink the box even more, just a handful of USB jacks, speaker jack, VGA, and HDMI. Move to USB3 (sufficient to replace HDMI) and you'll have a reasonably competent PC the size of a power brick and dumped on the floor with them.
Z.