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Computing Power and Mobility for the Masses with Cheap Laptops
Throughout the history of computing, there have been trade-offs. For years, desktop computing was priced just out of reach of the middle middle-class, only accessible by the upper middle and upper classes. As technology improved - more memory, faster processors, and more disk space - the prices stayed the same. Finally, the icicle of desktop prices began melting, slowly thawing with a few drips at first but eventually turning into a roaring river.
Think back to when laptops first became generally available. They were slow, heavy, and awkward to use, and (most of all) they were too costly for even most upper middle class consumers. For a few years, laptops followed the desktop trend - provide faster processors and more disk space with higher overall quality, but keep the price the same. The average laptop owner was enjoying the benefits of technological improvements, but the average laptop owner was not the average person. Eventually, desktop prices fell off the table, and it appears that laptop prices have begun to take the same plunge.
As a stand-in for mobile technology while waiting for the laptops to come, hand held devices such as Palm Pilots and Blackberries have held the consumer lions at bay while they wait to devour the latest greatest technologies. With cheap laptops costing no more than those hand held devices, it is easy to see that there could be another laptop growth spurt.
Up until recently, it was a relatively small percentage of workers who had the luxury of taking a laptop home and getting work done from the home environment, or taking the laptop with them on vacation or on the road. The consumer will no longer be limited by the amount of computing power available when away from the desk. In fact, perhaps the era of the office environment will finally take the big shift in telecommuting, with the majority of employees working from home or from anywhere other than the office.
What this will really mean for society is yet to be seen, but think of it like this. Automobiles were once for the elite driver; now they're everywhere. Televisions were once for the elite viewer; now they're everywhere. Cell phones were once for the elite consumer only; now these phones are everywhere. And laptops were once for the rich and/or the techie; soon they will be everywhere.
Applications such as social networking tools that worry about user counts will need to scale like never before; customer service and customer help organizations will see their call rates skyrocket; and we'll see the need for new types of applications being developed.
Social media and E-commerce applications may feel the strain of trying to scale as "all the rest of us" join in the fun. That's not a bad thing - that will force an improvement on existing applications as well as encouraging application writers to think out of the box for innovative solutions. If you are considering starting up the next social networking or E-commerce venture, this might be a good time to get started! The future looks encouraging for mobile computing worldwide!
About the Author Matthew Kerridge is an expert in electronic products. If you would like further information about cheap laptops or are looking for a cheap laptop please visit http://www.ebuyer.com
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