The Mobile Web: Living in The Cloud
Jul 10th, 2008 by Dan Blank
A month ago the iPhone 3G was announced.
During the announcement presentation, the Internet was sometimes described as a “cloud,” that can store information, and is universally present.
And I can’t help but feel that soon, we will all live in the clouds.
Clouds that follow us, and become the center of our lives.
Your files and documents will live in the cloud, accessible anywhere, from any device.
Your friends will live in the cloud, and you can always reach them.
Live data and information will filter to you from the cloud, anywhere, anytime.
And the cloud unchains you. From a specific desk, computer, place, and time.
It is your television, your newspaper, your radio.
It is a way to connect and stay connected.
It is a way to schedule and unschedule.
But what I mostly take from it is this: The Internet is no longer an “option.”
It is a reality.
It is being integrated into all aspects of our lives.
And sure, that can be scary.
And sure, that can be a threat to established practices and business models.
But it can also be freeing.
And this freedom is something that people are experimenting with in small ways, every day.
There is no one path forward, but many.
And a little device like the iPhone is less a gadget, than a doorway.
Whether that doorway leads somewhere postive or negative is up to you.
But the doorway is out there, for anyone to walk through.
How long will it be before our customers and readers walk through it?
Or perhaps the question should be: how can we help our readers and customers walk through it.
GREAT post, Dan! I felt compelled to check it out because you plugged it in your Facebook status. And I’m so glad I did! - Dave
Thanks Dave!
This is very insightful and inspiring. Thank you.
Cool, and truly artful, in “The poetic geek” kind of way. Anyway, a little bit too cheese for my taste
This is a great post. Someone mentioned on Plurk and I came over to read. Very inspiring!
Wonderful, Dan! What a great way to explain the excitement and value and joy of being Internet-connected. I’m sending the link to many of my friends!
Very nice post. I love the one that says “It is being intergraded into all aspects of our life style”
Great post. I’m fairly new to the web outside of just surfing. For my small training business the web has made so many things possible for me. The sense of freedom is exhilarating.
Thanks everyone!
This is beautifully rendered. But I think it’s important to not go all Gnostic and favor the mind/spirit/idea/air/clouds over the body/earth/form. Also, you’re talking about a teeny tiny percentage of people on the planet. There are millions of people around the globe who are just seeking clean drinking water. When you weigh their interests against those of first adopter technology types, there is no comparison over whose needs are more important. Life on earth for many over life in the clouds for a few, in a heartbeat.
Liz, Thanks so much for the reply, you make great points. When I look around at the world, I try to ignore first adopters, and look at how average folks in the US use technology. People like extended members of my family, people on the street, or in rural areas. It is not just first adopters or the wealthy. They may not evangelize about what they are doing, but they are more and more active in the cloud. As for those without drinking water, that is very true, and a very sobering reality.
Thanks.
-Dan
An extremely hopeful and beautiful post. Thank you.
I love the way you use images in your posts. Very effective. Thanks.
Thanks Kathy!
Thinking in pictures loved it! I am all visual,100%. Great post
Thanks Norseye!