The cloud is taking over our favorite mobile devices. Apple was one of the first to jump on the cloud computing bandwagon, and if you have any of their products, from an iPhone to an iPad, you have “the cloud.” It is convenient from the standpoint that an old email from six months ago, that you need now is available and hanging in limbo in the cloud, but inconvenient because Apple, and other companies that have cloud services, limit it to a certain amount of data for each consumer. If you are in need of more “cloud space” they notify you and you can pay for the extra spaceĀ needed to store everything you want there.
While this isn’t great news for consumers of these products, it’s excellent news for the sellers. Their investments in cloud technology and remote backup services will make reasonable gains for them over the next few years. While the projected expectations of growth look small now, given what the economy has been, fewer and fewer companies are investing in infrastructure and software updates and more in cloud services, making the predictions for this a little trickier and stickier, but gains none the less.
Investing In The Cloud
So who are the big investors in cloud and how does that effect consumer electronics purchases? In some cases it doesn’t, as Google doesn’t offer consumer electronics, just services. In other cases, as with Microsoft, it’s huge. Microsoft has made the move to compete with Apple and other consumer electronics manufacturers by developing touch screen tablets, Windows phones, and even a touch screen PC recently unveiled at a cloud computing expo. Even its popular MS Office software got “the touch effect” in an effort for Microsoft to stay ahead of Google who now has its own applications that mimic MS Office software.
Microsoft also recognizes that it has to try and get ahead of Apple, who practically has the market cornered on touch devices as the consumers gobble these up every time Apple emerges with an updated version. Microsoft hopes that it can get some of the market away from Apple but as a company, they know they need to make Windows 8 and touch screens irresistible to consumers.
Get Your Piece Of The Cloud
Investors are looking to cash in on new technology and the cloud is it. The question is, how to go about it with finesse, and not lose your shirt? The best website and news blurb to read on the subject of investing is MotleyFool.com, or look in your local paper in the business section. The owners and inventors of the Motley Fool column have tips for getting in on the best stocks and how to make your investments pay off. I’ve read the column myself every Sunday, and the advice is always sound. The owner told everybody years ago to invest in remote backup services, as cloud was called then, and those that did are rolling in it now. But it’s not too late to follow Motley Fool’s advice and get your piece of the cloud, too.
Your remaining investment options are to go with a company that incorporates cloud into their electronics, because you know consumers will keep buying them. Microsoft, Google and Amazon are all looking for investment partners. Maybe the new investment partner could be you.