Like it or not, we're careening towards a future that is based on cloud computing. I believe Steve Jobs knows this and is doing everything he can to gear Apple up for these upcoming "cloudy" days. I also believe that other companies know this, but are having a difficult time adapting to the paradigm shift due to rigid business plans. And why not? Desktop computing has been the de facto standard for the better part of three decades. Why would it be in danger of collapse?

That's the problem. Smart companies anticipate changes and adapt their business model to compensate. For example, fuel companies have begun to invest capital in alternate fuel technologies (hydrogen, ethanol, solar, wind, etc.). Think about all of those BP commercials you see on television: "Beyond Petroleum." They know that fossil fuels are not endless, times will change, and they want to be ready for it. Companies such as Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard have not adapted yet. Microsoft is the biggest purveyor of desktop operating systems in the world, while HP is one of the largest producers of desktop computers. They have become fat and happy on the gigantic revenues of the desktop era. Now they see that the desktop market has become saturated and there is a global push to go mobile. I'm guessing that this is probably why HP bought Palm for $1.2 billion. They need to play catch-up.

Do I think the desktop/notebook industry is going to collapse and we're all going to be walking around with iPads and iPhones in five years? No. Cloud computing is not for everybody and it will not be adopted immediately. Heck, even I prefer to keep my personal files on a local backup hard drive. But the promise of perpetual mobile computing certainly sounds fantastic and the allure of convenience has a funny way of reshaping our lives.

Anyway, I'm just paraphrasing much of the information that exists in the above linked article. Give it a read next time you have five or ten minutes of spare time. I think it's a great snapshot of the future of computing.

Granted, the only extra thing I needed was the display adapter, but I also chose to upgrade the hard drive. I replaced the factory 320gb drive with a 640gb Western Digital Scorpio drive, effectively doubling my storage space. Considering the amount of digital video content I'll be storing on the computer, it seemed like a wise decision. As with most Apple computers, they design them so that the average consumer cannot replace or upgrade parts themselves. To that I say, "Ha!" The inside of the Mac Mini was a bit tight and cracking the chassis open required some sweat (and a putty knife), but it ended up being a fairly straightforward endeavor. To give you an idea how long this project might take, I took a time-lapse video.

Why do I wear blue surgical gloves while I film this video? For one, I bite my fingernails (bad habit, I know) so I prefer to hide them. Secondly, I don't like getting hand oils all over sensitive electronic components.

Much to my chagrin, Tina Fey is not on my contact list. She's my current wallpaper image. Thus, whenever a strange number calls me, I see a picture of Ms. Fey pop up on my screen and, for a split second, I actually think that she's calling me. The next moment, the bottom drops out, I realize that it's just my wallpaper image, and I begrudgingly pick up the phone. This is one little feature that drives me nuts about the iPhone. I want a background image that I can enjoy, but I also don't want to be tricked into thinking a celebrity is calling me every time an unknown number calls me. Such a quandary!

Now it seems that this trend is becoming more mainstream. Apple has converted it's entire MacBook line of computers to use sealed batteries. This is also true of some Dell laptops. Their argument is that by doing this, they are able to fit larger batteries into the computer, thus extending battery performance. This is absolutely true, because sealed batteries don't require casings, exposed electrical contacts, clips, etc. But is sacrificing user-replacability really worth the extra hour or two of charge time? To me, it isn't.

I have never used a laptop battery to the point where it needs to be replaced, nor have I ever had a defective battery. In Apple's mind, I fit their user profile. I am someone who has never needed to replace their battery or purchase additional batteries. But, you know what? I like having the piece of mind and control that a user-replaceable battery offers. I bet that doesn't show up in their study.

I like knowing that if my battery dies, I can easily replace the part myself. I don't need to hand my MacBook over to a "Genius" (a term that is, in reality, quite variable) at the Apple Store and pray that they handle it with care. I hate it when someone I don't know handles my $1800 notebook computer. Call me a control freak, but knowing what I know about computers, I also have come to realize that there are a lot of inept people out there. Wearing an Apple logo doesn't make someone more trustworthy.