Zev Mo Tech Blog

Apple’s Data Center, Cablevision’s Optimum Online, and the Cloud

Posted on 19. Aug, 2009 by zevmo in Uncategorized

Mac Rumors story on Apple’s North Carolina Data Center is a very exciting look into the future of Apple, and where Operating Systems are going to go.  One of my friends, long ago, said that all of computing will go full circle, back to dumb terminals.  He is totally right.  Eventually, you will buy VM space and you will merely have a broadband connection back and forth to all of your data.

We aren’t there yet.  Certainly, the capacity isn’t there.  I have Optimum Online “Boost”, but I still cannot get above 6Mbps Download after the techs coming to my house 3 times… still dropping packets.  And to upgrade to their fiber service requires me to pay out of pocket for the installation ($200, plus 99/mo).  Seriously?  I will pay 99/mo to have 80-100Mbps, but you are going to make me pay for the install, plus offer no other technological advantage to upgrade (new DVR box- Tivo please, some kind of streaming service, etc.)?  This example is why Cable providers are just not understanding the reason people get frustrated and go with a Boxee/Hulu/Netflix solution.

Now, I would love to give Verizon’s Fios a whirl, but the service has been “coming anytime soon” for the last 3 years. The other side of town, that is serviced by a different Central Office (Hackensack, we are in the Englewood C.O.), had it 2+ years ago.  So, while I see the bundle of single-mode fiber for Fios on the poll, right outside my house (a main DMARC is across the street) it is probably 3 more years away from even being remotely an option.  Not exactly a “free-market” out there.  If anything, I would have liked the Government intrusion into THIS industry, a new “works project” to provide every home a fiber connection to a central carrier hotel, then private industry can co-locate for the cross-connects based on what the consumer wants for service.  So, Fios is out.

What we are left with is an infrastructure not yet equipped for the bandwidth needs (desires) and uptime for servicing all data of any given user.  And that isn’t even touching the possible power problems that may occur, see Rackspace if an indicator.

In the end, I think that Cloud computing is absolutely the only way we can go.  Essentially our home machines are just a video card, an Ethernet connection, and a bluetooth controller for keyboards/mice.  And display can be IPv6, so access is everywhere.  It would certainly change the power usage of consumers (centralized for lower loss and better alternative energy focused- solar, etc), allow for a fee-based model to expand data library size (who wants to keep buying new disk every year), and speed of service (adding more processor/RAM to the users account).  It will allow us to be able to access all of our data wherever we go.  Utopia, I tell you, or at least a faster way to post pointless blog ramblings.

Tags: ads, Ai, Apple, blog, bluetooth, Box, Boxee, Cable, Cablevision, Car, Cloud, Computing, DVR, Fios, Hack, hulu, IE, Install, Mac, MBP, Netflix, Opera, Optimum Online, OS, post, rack, solar, Space, streaming, Tivo, UI, Uncategorized, upgrade, Verizon, XP

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Tags: ads, Ai, Apple, blog, bluetooth, Box, Boxee, Cable, Cablevision, Car, Cloud, Computing, DVR, Fios, Hack, hulu, IE, Install, Mac, MBP, Netflix, Opera, Optimum Online, OS, post, rack, solar, Space, streaming, Tivo, UI, upgrade, Verizon, XP