Google Launches Chromebook Total Cloud Computing As Your Desktop PC Replacement
Google Launches Chromebook with it’s partners Samsung and Acer, bringing the idea of total cloud computing to the desktop with no locally stored data.
Samsung and Acer are the first companies to produce the hardware that Google’s software can run on but before the year is out, there is likely to be many more manufacturers getting involved.
What is the Cloud?
The software is built around the chrome browser and the advantages of such a cloud based system are numerous.
- Fast bootup time
- Data accessible from anywhere
- Automatic updates
- No Anti-virus or other security software to run
- Backups done for you
- Lower hardware costs
- Long battery life
- Potentially no support costs
Removing the local software and hard drives from the machines also removes the subsequent support issues and power consumption. Software, security and backups will all be taken care of in the cloud by Google.
The dis-advantages are not so numerous in number, but never the less very important and relevant in today’s world.
- Data security
- Data confidentiality & privacy
- The need for continuous internet access
Sony hit the headlines recently for losing the data of close to 100 million people, data breaches seem to happen every week whether it is a group or person hacking into a server, or someone leaving a USB stick on a train.
A question everyone will have to ask seriously over the next few years is how much of their data are they willing to let corporations hold in return for the benefits they receive.
This used to be a question that one would only be asking of governments but in the 21st century that line is moving constantly.
The first machines will go on sale in the UK, US, France, Netherlands, Italy Spain and Germany on June 15th 2011.
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