Linked by the_randymon on Mon 21st Jan 2013 19:27 UTC
"The first computers were gigantic, filling rooms and requiring constant care and maintenance. [...] The computer stayed on the desk until the laptop computer, a smaller, more portable, but just as powerful machine, made it nearly obsolete. And then, the iPhone was released, followed shortly after by Android and the Palm WebOS, and the next step in computing was clear. What we did not immediately understand was if mobile computing was an accessory, or a replacement, for the traditional desktop machines." Jon-Buys at Ostatic believes the phone-becomes-computer paradigm is the next step.
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RE[4]: not for a long time
by gan17 on Tue 22nd Jan 2013 02:39
in reply to "RE[3]: not for a long time"
Member since:2008-06-03
I think the author is just trying to be a little too futurist for his own good. I could see a scenario where offices were kitted out with wireless displays (wifi-direct, miracast, airplay or whatever) and bluetooth keyboards and mice. Just no actual desktop tower. Obviously, it wouldn't be as cheap as the author's "hologram" solution, but a lot more workable.
It's actually what many companies envisage in the near future, though I suspect the first models (Ubuntu OS notwithstanding) will probably limit themselves to running a browser and some social apps in desktop mode initially.
I doubt workstations will lose their place for serious work, but the average office worker and "netizen" would probably get by just fine with a device that could handle desktop duties for browsing, office software, games and social apps. Go to office, connect to monitor on desk. Go back home, connect to TV. Maybe a wireless storage (NAS) of some kind (or cloud if they insist) for backups and media, or for when their handset gets lost/stolen.
Edited 2013-01-22 02:44 UTC
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A projector built in a smartphone ain't gonna replace a real display for work. For one thing, it just can't put out the same amount of light, and therefore you're much more readily at the mercy of ambient light around you. Secondly, you'll have to place the phone/its doc in rather awkward places so as to keep the image uniform and still not have your head or office tools constantly obscuring the image, let alone the other people in the office!
On a similar note, a virtual keyboard is a lot, lot worse to write on than a real one. It might work for people who have very little need to write anything, but it sure as hell won't work for codecs, translators, book authors, in general anyone who has to write a lot of text on a daily basis.