Cloudy Future

It's kinda funny to me this internet era concept. Seems that everybody is earning a lot with it but... The harsh reality is much closer to a technology through which one can access everything - sh - though nobody wants to pay for doing so.

P2P became that magic wand for getting free software, free media and free information - did you know? Piracy is actually illegal O_o - so where's the Business Model to turn this downward spiral in which IT industry is plunged - as well as many of the struggling third-parties i.e. music, film...?

Let's take a look on the increasing complement online services aka Cloud Services from gaming platforms:

• SonyEricsson phones -> PlayNow arena
• Nokia phones -> OVI
• Apple iPhone/iPod/AppleTV/Computers -> iTunes/AppStore/MobileMe
• Google Android phones -> Google Apps
• Microsoft Xbox -> Xbox Live
• PlayStation3 -> PlayStation Online
• Nintendi Wii -> Wii Online
• Dell Netbook -> Box.net storage
• Lenovo Thinkpad -> Mozy storage
• IBM enterprise servers -> IBM’s remote backup for enterprise
• Kindle Ebook reader -> Amazon’s online eBook store

Ther's also online distribution of Adobe Software, like Photoshop Express.

Or even remote storage like Mozy - together with laptop vendor Lenovo, Dell - aided by Box.Net - or IBM investing in servers to support this services to big bussinesses - so the Cloud becomes everyone's HD.

Initially, to the end-customer like a great deal: Online apps where all data is processed in a remote server to which I send my http requests and magically, I get the results. With networks growing faster and faster, my info comes in a blink. No additional RAM required, no troubleshooting and smaller, highly portable devices able to handle that - there's almost no client-side load required since the highly refrigerated server's multiprocessor would take care out the heavy side of the thing.

Amazing and for free - at least at the moment, or...?

Aren't we pulling the hangman's rope around our own neck? What would happen when that moment when all applications are present only in vendor's remote servers? Would money become the only key to get through that propietary door then? I guess that for big names like Google or Microsoft it's something worthing attention and bucks.

From the B' side of the thing, it can be exactly the opposite not only for big but also for tiny names - my beloved start-ups.

Picture something small that becomes big like a startup in need to grow – finding, transforming, storing and distributing content and information on an Internet scale - that can’t afford to invest in the needed infrastructure buying these capabilities from the Cloud could be the only viable and maybe, the most suitable strategy.