How they work: “The Cloud Computing (Part III)”

The Rationale of Google working with Apple! If Google does not have the processing power needed to offer the world a computing cloud at the moment, it unquestionably is on the right path to creating it sooner than latter! What is the rationale behind Google working with Apple for the consumer desired hardware? With the success of the iPhone, Apple became the favourite provider of the wireless industry. Nicholas Carr believes Apple could create a popular cloud computing device. Maybe, the unveiling of the Apple iPAD is a light in that direction! Carr and others who think Google is so interested in creating a cloud-computing network for the masses base their arguments on the fact that, Google is now one of the largest computing companies in the world, and it’s certainly interested in new technologies and new business opportunities. As I write this article, Google is busy contacting many companies worldwide, trying hard to inculcate and interest them in the idea of cloud computing. Logic is the fact that, Google CEO Eric Schmidt joined Apple’s board of directors in August 2006, a fact that renders credence to the idea of teaming up with Apple. In a December 2007 interview with Wired Magazine, Schmidt once admitted plainly that, “Google’s architectural model around broadband and services and so forth plays very well to the powerful devices and services Apple is doing. We’re a perfect back end to the problems that they’re trying to solve”. Apparently, Apple does not seem to have the kind of supercomputing power that would be required to drive the back end of the business; there aren’t many organizations that do that. Only the likes of Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, IBM and Amazon have the ability, says Prabhakar Raghavan, the head of research at Yahoo. Since Google and Apple have had a partnership dating back years; If Microsoft succeeded in its bid to acquire Yahoo, the combined companies may well be able to leverage a sophisticated cloud computing environment but as things stand now, Google – Apple partnership is the sure way If Google and Apple do team up for this sort of partnership. If Google and Apple team up in the cloud computing, then the machine you’d buy would be under very cheap and there would be no charge for applications or data transfer. With a low-power chip and flash memory, an Apple thin client (a network computer) would have no power-hungry optical drive or hard drive. As a result, the lack of optical drive or hard drive would mean fewer moving parts, which means it would probably live a longer life (like the radio sets at home). No one would have to worry about updating software, as that would all be taken care of by the service providers. All one would do is just use your machine until it cannot work anymore! In this deal, Apple would sell the hardware, and Google would provide the servers with advertising, just as it does in other businesses in which it works. Schmidt said Google would offer as many of its services as it could for free, though the company believes that more advanced users might be asked to pay for access to more features. However, Robert X. Cringely(technology reporter), critically noted that, a Google Apple cloud computing partnership could take place, but the deal might not be as simple as Nicholas Carr thinks it would be; Instead, he thinks that, going by the personality and ego of Apple’s CEO and co-founder(Steve Jobs), might irritate Schmidt and Google; “Schmidt (and Carr) see that Apple doesn’t have the supercomputer, but Jobs might doubt Google’s ability to run the servers, after all, Apple can rent a supercomputer anytime if he wanted and hence steal the show! Much as Apple could make the cloud-computing device at varying prices. He further adds that, Apple could want to be the leading company in the partnership a factor that may not go well with Google as a minor partner. If the duo indeed team up, what are the chances of the customers accepting the partnership? eddie@afrowebs.com