CNN Tries to Explain Cloud Computing

It seemed like a rather odd thing to have front and center on a leading news site. But nonetheless, over the past 24 hours CNN has featured "A trip into the secret, online 'cloud'." What sounds like a fascinating journey into data centers, syncing, etc., is really simply a mildly entertaining series of drawings. Of a photo. Still it seemed worth sharing so you know what your parents might know about cloud computing.

While the example of flickr is accurate, the whole exercise seems to simply explain the fact that some files are uploaded rather than staying on your computer. I suppose that's good enough for grandma.

Here's a look (and an apology about the ad: that's CNN making a buck, not us.)

Google's Chrome OS: Good For Apple

The sky is falling! The sky is falling! Google is working on a web-based operating system! Ahh! The news spread like wildfire, landing on the home page of CNN, no less (hey, Michael Jackson could only be on there so long). Some tech blogs pointed out the forthcoming OS will run on x86 hardware, be it Windows or Mac (it is it's own OS, after all) but the early installations will be on netbooks.

Frankly, this could prove to be a blessing for Apple. Don't forget, not only does Apple not compete within this sector, they don't make the OS available for other hardware suppliers. Who does? Microsoft, of course. If Chrome is successful, Microsoft will have to cloud-ify Windows more and more to stay dominant in that space. The further Chrome leads Microsoft into the cloud, the more pronounced the differences will be between OS X and future Windows products. After all, it's the tight integration of apps like iMovie, iTunes, etc, (as well as stability) that sets OS X apart. No cloud app in the near future will allow for the video editing power of iMovie, or meet the needs of professional photographers like Photoshop. 

So for now, we say bring on the Chrome OS, and Microsoft, have fun chasing your own tail keeping up with Google. We'll be sitting over here with a tightly integrated hardware/software solution that doesn't require an internet connection to get pro work done.