Archive - Imperfect Now

Desktop Computers, To Go.

Education. Years of employment. Words per minute. Computer skills. And the newest edition to the resume? The software you come with.

Apple computer recently released the Mac Mini, a small, compact desktop computer, in an attempt to steal PC customers over. In response, Intel demonstrated its own mini version. And of course, for quite a while, the Mini-ITX motherboard has grown a devoted list of followers because its tiny size allows it to be built into common household appliances like toasters and humidors.

In any event, the miniaturization of computers over the last fifty years has been dramatic. Many handheld devices like the T-Mobile Sidekick have more processing power than the earliest warehouse sized machines built to do simple tasks like calculate census data.

Soon, desktop computers could be the size of a pack of index cards, or say, an iPod. Already iPods can come with larger hard drives than many desktop computers, and microprocessors are not that far behind as Intel and AMD look to shrink their chips even smaller.

Software venders like Microsoft, Macromedia, and Adobe have cracked down on corporate software piracy and internet activation is a standard practice. A decade ago it was very easy for a corporate customer to buy one copy of a piece of software and install it on a dozen or more computers. Now, its nearly impossible.

Meanwhile, Apple computer continues to make a dent in the computer market. Estimates placed the low point for Apple’s market penetration at 2 percent, but that trend has been reversed with present estimates at 7 or 10 percent. But computer users are still as vehemently divided as the country is politically. Deciding which format is best is tough.

While these technological changes are occurring, another revolution is happening in the workplace. Employees are increasingly mobile with the current generation expected to hold many different jobs at many different employers. Transience is part of the telecommunication revolution.

So instead of requiring employees to learn different software and computer applications, why not just use their own?

Assuming powerful desktop computers eventually are shrunk to an iPod sized device, users could easily carry their computer anywhere and simply just plug in to a workstation.

Professional software is expensive. Adobe’s design suite is nearly $1,000. Microsoft Office costs hundreds. Quark is priced at $999. And while one person could never use two computers at the same time, these software manufacturers require a license for every computer the software is installed on. For many people, this means buying two copies of expensive software to use at home and at the office. Yet, with a mobile desktop computer, workers could literally take their work home.

How would this be different than a laptop?

Laptop computers have several disadvantages. First, a laptop needs a keyboard. Human fingers can only type on keys that are so small before causing errors. Imagine working on a Sidekick thumb keypad for eight hours a day.

Second, laptops have screens. A mobile desktop would plug into a screen at a workstation, reducing the size of the device. Third, the mobile desktop would not need a battery because it could be plugged in at a work station.

Laptops are a great luxury item, but safely packing one up to travel takes time and is often too large to carry everywhere because of the keyboard, screen, and battery. The mobile desktop though would literally be small enough to fit in the pocket of a pair of pants.

A mobile desktop computer would continue the current trend in business to demand more from workers. Employees in recent years have been asked to contribute more to their medical coverage as health care costs skyrocket. Pay raises and bonuses have in the last few years been reduced even as productivity continues to increase. However, the overall savings to businesses would be greater.

Even though employees would need to invest their own money in software for the mobile desktop, they would ultimately be the big beneficiaries. Taking work home would be easier meaning that while higher productivity is expected of them, they would not need to spend as many extra hours at the office. Employees also would not need to learn new software systems each time they started a new job since they would come equipped with their own software of their own preference. There would be less time lost transferring information like email accounts, schedulers, and bookmarks, and less time spent syncing portable devices because it would all come on the mobile desktop.

Software companies would also benefit ultimately. While it may seem they would sell less software since users would have fewer computers they needed to install the software on, computer users would be more likely to buy the software in the first place. Job seekers would not want to miss out on an opportunity because they lacked a certain software title, and so they would buy software. Corporations that secretly, frequently, and illegally install software on more computers than their licenses allow would no longer be in the business of wholesale piracy. Why would they risk fines for installing software onto employees computers when they could make it the responsibility of their employees to acquire their own software.

While it may seem unlikely any time soon that interviewers will ask prospective employees if they come with Windows or Mac OS X, the possibility should not be overlooked. Start saving now though, because eventually you will be responsible for your own software.