Network Computers

"2015 milestone: First and second class users utilize Network Computers, third class users still burdened with PCs..."

"The typical 2015 USAmerican/other developed state citizen is using what in 1997 we'd have recognized as an NC (Network Computer), while the typical third world citizen is using a more complex, more expensive, and less reliable personal computer (something similar to what many 1997 users had sitting on their desks).

Though there's a flood of 'free' low end NCs available to choose from now, most any premium NC actually purchased by a user in 2015 can be upgraded to awesome workstation capabilities relatively easily. Elements involved may or may not include something similar to having cable TV installed in one's 1997 home, as well as switching out a smaller monitor for a larger one, and perhaps plugging in a more advanced interface device like a digitizing pad.

Many variations of these appliances retain a size and form factor similar to much older set tops primarily in order to make room for removable media, I/O connectors, and a minimal set of physical controls. The actual electronics inside are miniscule, but equivalent to perhaps a dozen circa 1999 high end PCs. Other models are wireless mobiles equipped with their own displays; these too look remarkably similar to much older devices in overall size and shape. But batteries in portables now may last a year or more for many users.

Personal computers as we knew them in 1997 are no longer being manufactured in significant numbers in the developed nations; instead, the old style PCs (or the form factor we were familiar with in 1997-1998) are purchased for scrap in nations like USAmerica and then resold in third world countries to the poor.

Why aren't NCs displacing PCs in even the less developed nations too? Because many poorer nations in 2015 still don't enjoy an adequate telecommunications infrastructure to support NCs; therefore they need systems that may also function as standalones. Too, even in poor states which do possess a sufficient infrastructure, telecommunications fees are often prohibitively expensive for practical NC use. The bottomline is that the developed states' old PCs trickle down to (or are built for) third world citizens as the more fortunate in the developed states tend to utilize the entire internet as their platform, rather than a single, limited desktop machine."

Link
Source: Jrmooneyham.com
See also:
Convergence Kills - DrunkenBlog
2008-2010: The state of the art in mid-range to high end PCs and certain peripherals - Jrmooneyham.com
Computer - Wikipedia
Computing - Wikipedia
Network - Wikipedia
Peer-to-peer - Wikipedia
One Huge Computer - Wired
Sun Microsystems - Wikipedia
Google's Next Steps or Google in 2010
The Digital Pearl Harbour
The Global Mind