The Future of Personal Computing

The future of personal computing will be like this:

1. The "cloud" is the OS.
2. Devices are merely interfaces to the cloud.
3. Users login to the cloud.
4. Applications and software are accessed through the cloud.
5. Data, content and information are accessed through the cloud. 

In the future, the "OS", as capitalized and branded by many companies today, would no longer matter. What matters is that the OS can contribute to enabling the cloud.

In the future, devices can be simple crystal slates or complex appliances. At their core, they can basically connect to the cloud. They are primarily used to allow the user to interact with the cloud -- wired and/or wireless.

In the future, verified identity is the law. All users of the cloud must login using an internationally approved ID.  Everyone is on-line.

In the future, the cloud provides the platforms, applications, software, data, content and information as services. Everything digital is on-line.

Some of these may seem scary with the intelligence, knowledge and wisdom that we have now. However, in the future, everything "digital" and "on-line" are well integrated into international laws and treaties. There is confidence in the order of the cloud. In fact, it may not even be relevant to refer to it as the cloud anymore. It's simply just what personal computing becomes.