Cloud computing is coming on strong these days where the WebOS is the new desktop. Cloud computing is a web based operating system hosted remotely and accessed via your Internet browser. Two players that have their head in the clouds are Cloudo and iCloud ironically related by the letter “X”. Cloudo was formely known as Xindesk and Xcerion is the company behind the creation of iCloud.
iCloud has launched in beta and you can signup and play around for yourself. The company has a number of applications from money management to IM and video with more being added all the time. iCloud has raised around $12 million according to VentureBeat.
Cloudo on the other hand has been plagued with launch delays (I can relate to that) and is now expected to launch in the last quarter of 2008. TechCrunch stated the following:
This is a product with potential that if it gets off the ground could well convert people to the cloud, however we might all get significantly older waiting for the launch, and Cloudo could be passed function wise and aesthetically by more nimble competitors while we are waiting.
What is interesting about TC’s comment is iCloud is launched and Google could pressure both cloud competitors by upgrading to the cloud and soliciting an already established user base. Take iGoogle for instance, I remember just logging into my gmail or adsense (separately)…but now, I have a dozen services available and Google knows who I am. If you really analyze Google’s portfolio of services and applications, the company already offers and alternative to the desktop. Google would just need to gel together an OS connecting all the services in the Cloud and convert the multi-million user base and viola we are all in the cloud and not necessarily by choice.
The concept could work brilliantly for Google because hosting data somewhere else especially an entire desktop still concerns users and by converting users slowly to hosted services we all become the frog in boiling water, we won’t jump out until it’s too late.
About Tod Whipple
