Technology Going Round In Circles
With the development of technology, data storage has grown to be more powerful while growing physically smaller in size. Devices like thumbrives can today hold as much as 32GB of information. If you put this against a normal CD, the 32GB thumbrive could load data from around 40 CDs. If you compared it to DVD storage volumes, this thumbrive could cram about 8 DVD disks. Miniature hard disks have also been developed and could be used in devices like smart phones, video cameras etc. The storage capacity of these hard disks can be as much as 250 GB as of now. So with all this good discoveries, life seems to be getting easier and simpler right? To a certain extent yes but if you analyze all aspects of the power of data storage, it does become a bit scary.
There was a time when computers were as large as a living room, but that was too bulky. Someone who wanted to physically carry away these large machines, would need at least a truck and some sturdy lifting cranes. Then man developed the desktop, we then went blaah blaah about how a table top computer could out perform a computer that was as large as a living room. The bulky hulk was no matter needed and we all embraced the desktop. They even made smaller printers to go with these desktop.
The desktop was left alone in the office each night and computer lovers felt that this could make the computer a bit lonely. You did not need a crane to carry one of these desktops home and yet, it would not be convenient to carry it up and down each day. Someone started grumbling about how bulky the desktop was, display, CPU, keyboard and mouse. Staff complained about the desktop occupying more than half of their work table space. Since nothing short of a mind boggling invention could stop the complaints, it was decided to invent the laptop. This was a neat machine with a foldable screen, a built in keyboard and mouse at least 5 times smaller than an entire desktop computer set. True computer nerds could now take their cute computers home at night.
The laptop brought some serious improvement in work efficiency. Unfortunately this happened at the risk of ruining privacy at home! You worked late evening at the office, then carried the laptop with the unfinished work and other office tension home. Wow you could then work on all those important reports from the comfort of your home. This ofcourse could lead to an upset wife or neglected children. But seeing the boss smile the next day seems to make it worthwhile.
Another side of the laptop story is the issue of safety. If you do lose your laptop by some chance, all information could land in the hands of the thief. Many people are in the habit of saving all passwords on their computer. So the thief need not be a nerd to get hold of these logins.
In many countries, thieves who have no idea how to use a laptop rob one. They then sell the laptop to second hand computer shops for 50% to 70% less than the actual value! We know of cases where, cars in parking lots have had their windows smashed just to pick a laptop that was left inside the vehicle. So this means that you lose an 800 U.S$ computer and pay another 200 U.S$ to repair the shattered glass. The scary part is that the loss of data on the laptop could be even more expensive than this.
Around the same time came another invention that would change our lives. The cell phone, your wife could call you at any time and at just about any place. This cute device started to become smaller and it could nealty sit in your pocket. Sunday afternoon having dinner with your dearest, call from the boss on the cell phone. He just sent you an important email with change in project costs, needed your opinion on this. You apologetically tell him that you are on an outing with your family but quickly make up for this moment of leisure. You will rush home and check the email the moment you set foot in the house.
Bosses cannot wait for action, and technology manufacturers made sure that they cash in on this. What if you could access your company email on the cell phone? You could then check out the email and even answer it right away. This could all take just 30 minutes and the family could look after itself that long, after all you have been looking after them for the past 10 years! What was needed was a smart phone and that dream came true. You can now, surf the net, check your emails and talk on the same smart phone. You can even save spreadsheets and other documents on the phone itself. So you now have this cool small device that can do almost half of what your laptop does. A small screen opens up a world to you, you are always connected and for the boss you are always just a call away.
Just when you thought that the smart phone is all that you needed, and that giving up the laptop could soon be a reality, someone came up with a feeling. This feeling said that the screen size of the smart phone was too small, the keyboard was too squeezed up etc. This time it was Apple Computers who decided to cash in on this growing feeling. They introduced the IPAD an open computer, just like a floor tile. The keyboard progammed on the touch screen. The basic size of this machine is as big as a small laptop, it is ofcourse much thinner than a laptop.
What next? Hmmm we got to hear the complaints and grumbles and wait for some tech giant to cash in on that. Could it be back to the desktop? Something like a huge workhorse parked on your desk at home. A wireless screen that you can carry around, a touch screen concept for the mouse and keyboard. With high speed internet getting increasingly faster, the entire family could access the workhorse at home from any part of the globe.