I've blogged about this before but after discussing it with friends and colleagues recently I got a new eye-opener. Looking at thin clients on the market today many of them has equal or less performance compared to the iPhone 3G(S).
As you may know Citrix has release an application called Citrix Receiver allowing you connect to a Citrix server and control Microsft Windows applications from your iPhone. As this may be a step in the right direction it's really not enough as you're limited by the size of your screen on the iPhone.
Looking at patents filed by Apple there's one that comes to mind within this category; #20080002350. This patent describes how you would be able to dock your MacBook (Pro) in an iMac looking device (see MacRumors). I haven't read the details of what this patent covers as far as which devices that's potential candidates but the iPhone surely could be one in conjunction with a remote X like environment like Sun offers using it's thin clients.
Another touch which Gizmodo posted about is to make something similar to what Asus is planning to release soon. A keyboard with a built-in computer. However in this case the computer would be the phone and the keyboard would really just be a docking-station.
So Apple, hopefully you're R&D department has someone reading blogs and ideas how Apples products could be utilized, and if so, dump the projector stupidity and give us a solution to use the iPhone as a thin client.
4 comments:
The most important thing is the personal and professional _content_ in what ever devices one uses on a daily basis.
Progress will IMHO be made when there are methods to store content centrally and distribute this to any device (quickly, securely, convenient, robust, etc) but also sharing between different vendor devices.
To me it seems we are not close to solving these problems, the biggest problem is IMHO not technical in nature.
Ove E
I think this should be how future thin clients should be like! Everyone nows owns a mobile device, be it iPhone, Nokia or Samsung. It is something that an individual carries ALL THE TIME.
It would be very cool to have a thin client like iPhone plugged into a monitor/KBM setup wherever the individual goes ie. in the office, @home or on the road.
Internet connection can be via 3G or wifi. Application access becomes ubiquitous. When a call comes in, the individual can still answer it. Heck, he can even play songs from iTunes or have a picture slideshow at the same time!
I think this should be how future thin clients should be like! Everyone nows owns a mobile device, be it iPhone, Nokia or Samsung. It is something that an individual carries ALL THE TIME.
It would be very cool to have a thin client like iPhone plugged into a monitor/KBM setup wherever the individual goes ie. in the office, @home or on the road.
Internet connection can be via 3G or wifi. Application access becomes ubiquitous. When a call comes in, the individual can still answer it. Heck, he can even play songs from iTunes or have a picture slideshow at the same time!
Ove E: Brilliant observation. It is about content and it is not technical in nature.
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