Making niche technology mainstream

Apple could be about to do for the cloud what it did for the MP3 player and the tablet computer – make previously niche technology mainstream.

For most, the first MP3 player was the first generation iPod, released in 2002 – when in fact they had been around since 1998. Most recently, since the release of the iPad manufacturers and people alike are falling over themselves to release and buy tablet computers. However, the concept of tablet computing has been around for some time, with Microsoft trying it as far back as 2001.

These innovations have hugely changed the way we think about and consumer media. Take music, for example. Many swore never to give up their CD collections and to continue buying CDs after the iPod release. Compressed music doesn't sound as good – true – and nothing beats owning a real CD or record, yet most music lovers will now have extensive digital collections. The same holds true for books, with research indicating more digital books than paper copies were purchased last year.

The parallels with cloud computing are notable; the cloud has been around for a while in various guises (Google apps, Salesforce, Amazon) but many remain unconvinced of its benefits versus the perceived drawbacks over data security and data ownership. With Apple’s iCloud automatically offering largely free cloud storage for your personal media, it could well be that rather than attempting to win any arguments or persuade people of the benefits of cloud computing, Apple will ultimately normalise the use of the cloud to the point where those who doubt it are in a tiny minority and nobody will worry about the downsides, real or otherwise.

As with MP3 players, touch phones and tablet computers, ultimately Apple’s ability to make technology simple and accessible to everyday users could once again prove beneficial to the entire technology market.




Andy Bristow started his career in recruitment in 1999, before moving to specialise in the IT sector. He joined Hays IT in 2002 and is now responsible for developing Hays IT’s delivery into the software development market.