Providers are already working around that problem through a hybrid approach. Google Docs has been offering limited offline access for a bit, and Apple has come up with a working solution via iCloud (if you don't mind restricting your activities to iWork software): the document is stored locally on whatever device created it and is continuously updated to the cloud to provide access from any other matched device (or for download from the iCloud.com site) in the same way that Photostream works. It won't be in full implementation for documents until Mountain Lion comes out this month, though. Native storage won't ever go away entirely, but as more devices trend to cloud storage and always-connected status providers will move (even if begrudgingly like AT&T) to fill that void. I'm hoping to see more bundling of IP services to reduce cost; I know that AT&T offers some now but companies like Comcast have no partnerships to do so and the entry cost to offering cellular network access is prohibitively high. I was happy to see New York start a cool initiative this week- some of those old payphones that are more of an eyesore than public service are being changed to wifi hotspots.
On Jul 14, 2012, at 2:49 PM, Jennifer Walker wrote: > As much as I adore cloud-based work processes and streaming media, my concern > is with the viability of our current service providers for the Internet > connections. As much as I adore Google Docs (er, Drive), if my connection > goes down I'm dead in the water. Same with streaming media. > > Where do the pundits (and I mean that complementary) see ISP services headed, > as that seems to be the faulty lynch-pin in the system? > > On Sat, Jul 14, 2012 at 9:28 AM, Van <[email protected]> wrote: > The two things Cary mentioned are exactly what I was thinking of. > > I've been saying for a while that it's the dream of content-providers (movie > & TV studios, etc) to convert everyone to receiving content through a > streaming model. No physical media as "middle man" (DVD disk; CD; etc). That > would give the creators/distributors greater control over that material--much > harder to illegally (or legally!) copy movies, music, etc. I am sensing > everything will be streaming/cloud-based in the next few years. > > And yes, publishing has changed dramatically in just the last 1-2 years. I > just did a podcast about this last week, at RevolutionSF. Mass-market > paperbacks are dying. But I'm seeing a change at the higher end, too: Just a > year ago, the small press I own sold about 20 times as many trade paperbacks > as e-books in a given month. As of January, we are selling about 40-50 times > as many e-books a month as trade paperbacks. It's been astonishing. > > It has been suggested that our SF-oriented books naturally reach a more > tech-savvy crowd, and that that explains the sudden shift. We are putting out > another football book in a few months, and I'm anxious to see if *that* > audience buys it more in paperback or e-book. > > --Van > www.whiterocketbooks.com > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "The Unique Geek" group. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msg/theuniquegeek/-/lSnKYjHy3UMJ. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/theuniquegeek?hl=en. > > > > > -- > Jennifer "Scraps" Walker > > The Helper Monkey Network > http://www.jenniferwalkeronline.com > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "The Unique Geek" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/theuniquegeek?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "The Unique Geek" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/theuniquegeek?hl=en.
