I-PC (IPC) and the convergence of multimedia hardware

Interconnected PC or Individual PC

Last updated: March, 2010

When you read this page, please note the date when it was last updated. Depending on the date this is can be very outdated. The reason for writing down this idea came after I bought a Netbook (in 2009), and discovered I was using it in a different way than my notebook.

Both at home and at work I had an external keyboard and screen. As a result I used my Netbook mainly as an enlarged USB stick to which I connect my screen , mouse, and keyboard. Using the proper backup software I can easily synchronize it with a laptop or notebook. For most of the time I separate the content from the actual visualization medium and control medium (Netbook screen and keyboard).

At the time of writing this, there are roughly 5 categories of PC like devices (for individuals, as I am excluding servers here): Desktop, laptop, IPad/Google pad, netbook, Smartphone. Each device category has its advantages:

• Desktop: Speed, power and storage capacity
• Laptop: Portability without sacrificing too much of the desktop advantages
• IPad / Google Pad : Ease of use through touch screen, great for multimedia applications and web surfing
• Netbook: Portable and full functionality of regular laptop/desktop (minus the speed, power, etc..)
• Smartphone: Ultra portable, and short startup time and quick access to your data (you do not have to boot your phone each time).

It made me wondering: what would happen if all the advantages of these PC like devices can be put into one box?

Assuming that Moore's law will be valid for the next years to come, it is conceivable that we will be able to put all the Desktop power into a box the size of a Smartphone. This device would have several USB audio and memory card slots, and could be used in a similar way as I use my Netbook. This device (which I will refer to as I-PC would have a small touch screen (like a Smartphone) for doing mundane tasks like checking your todo list, looking at photos, and perhaps reading a simple website. Figure 1 shows an "artist impression" of the box (I admit, not that spectacular). The idea is perhaps somewhat contrary to the idea of having all your data in a or multiple cloud(s), but I think that for a long time to come, people will want to carry their data and applications with them, especially if there is less than perfect network coverage and capacity. Furthermore, the device does not prevent users to utilize cloud services for data and applications, and one can easily see a somewhat hybrid use where part of data and applications "live" local, and other data and applications "live" remote (e.g. your email for example). The main problem the I-PC tries to address is that of unwanted data and application distribution. For example: if you have a desktop, laptop, Smartphone, data and applications will be distributed over these three hardware platforms

The I-PC would have a projectable keyboard and could project a small screen onto a wall or other surface. This technology is currently already available (see figure 2, and 3), but not integrated into a device like the I-PC. We assume again technology advances would make this possible. As the device contains the necessary USB and other slots, it could easily be connected with an external screen and (wireless) keyboard at home or at work (figure 4).

Due to the size of the I-PC, one can easily imagine that it can be used as a "plug in" into devices like the IPad and Google Pad (figure 5). These "pads" would merely serve as a presentation device (touch screen). Similarly you can connect the I-PC to your television to watch your favorite movies, or connect the I-PC to your speakers to listen to your CD collection.

Although I think that a device like the I-PC would compete with the other devices (and perhaps would increase the demand for external keyboards and screens), I do not think there will be a convergence on the operating system level. Similarly to the device categories there are roughly 2 operating system categories.

• Smart phone: Light weight, small, but limited in functionality. Usability is restricted by so called "app stores". Typically these kind of operating systems are suitable for technically challenged persons. These operating systems will generally (at the time of writing this) have limited functionality.
• Full scale operating system (Windows, Apple OS, Linux, Chrome): For users who have a wider use for their I-PC and are perhaps are more tech-savvy than the Smartphone users. Typically there is not the limitation of the "app stores", and more software is available, similarly the platform can be used to develop software.

As big companies like Microsoft, Apple and Google are each active in the operating system market and Smartphone market, it would not be unimaginable that you can upgrade your operating system from the so called Smartphone level to a full scale operating system depending on your "needs" (I assume that there will be many flavors in between as we have seen with Windows 7).