Death knell of the power laptop

Thinking back to a post about digital reader tech (e-book, or whatever stupid name they want to give it) it's hard to escape the notion that there is an interesting convergence approaching.

Namely, a time when you can rely on powerful, secure web apps and access them via broadband connections.

The idea of an ebook seems stupid until you can drop it, break it, and immediately reach for a replacement – knowing your data is secure in some far off server.

Coding Horror points out another step towards this reality – a $369 dollar laptop that does the basics without frills or pretense:

* Intel Atom 1.6 Ghz CPU
* 802.11 b/g wireless
* 1 GB ram
* 120 GB hard drive
* 8.9" 1024x600 display
* Windows XP Home
* webcam, mic, 3 usb ports, ethernet, vga out.

[snip]

As I sat down to configure this machine, I belatedly realized that for most of what I do with a computer, this cute little netbook is perfectly adequate. Sure, the keyboard is a bit cramped, it's no performance powerhouse, and the screen size, at 1024 x 600, is definitely the minimum necessary for it to be practical. It took some adaptation, but it wasn't frustrating or disappointing to use. It delivered (almost) the same web experience I'd get on my desktop or laptop, with no serious compromises. It just.. worked.

Exactly.

At some point - a machine that gets the internet at high speed and has a decent monitor is going to supplant the great majority of your computer needs. Hell, we may already be there.