Cloud computing and mobile apps are attracting buckets of money, say the analysts — but something doesn’t add up
The two pillars of the so-calledpost-PC revolution —cloud computing andmobile apps — are at first blush an odd pair: one dull, one cool; one focused on the enterprise, another on the consumer. But according to recent reports by the market research mavens at Gartner, both are red hot.
On the most superficial level, Gartner’s predictions are a pointer for where to go if you’re looking for work or investment opportunities, or if you’re wondering what your CIO is going to throw at you next. They also underscore the continuing shift in the technology industry away from the bread-and-butter staples of the desktop and the big enterprise application deployments to a world in which computing occurs on devices you always have with you and are always connected to resources in the cloud. (That’s why the two technologies actually make sense as a couple.)
[ Also on InfoWorld.com: Developers who think the Amazon Appstore will be a welcome alternative to the Android Marketshould read the fine print. | Get the no-nonsense explanations and advice you need to take real advantage of cloud computing in InfoWorld editors’ 21-pageCloud Computing Deep Dive PDF special report. ]
But the Gartner predictions give me pause, and they should concern IT, users, and investors alike — blindly accepting them could send you on a chase for a mirage. Remember that tech prognostication can be much less of a science than researchers would like us to believe. However, don’t interpret this as a cheap shot at Gartner. I respect its work and its integrity — along with that of other major research shops — but I’ve seen too many charts that look like hockey sticks to believe everything I read about tech’s future.
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