This Common Craft video explains the features of the new Microsoft Live platform – what I think will be the beginning of the masses moving towards Cloud Computing. Although the live platform simply acts as an aggregator for other online activity (photo sharing, messaging, etc.) just like Apple’s Mobile Me, I suspect that the next move will be to introduce users of the service to using online versions of the Microsoft Office suite of applications via each users’ Microsoft Live profile – in other words, mass cloud computing. (Google Docs is a suite of office applications already online, and integrating with Google video and Gmail, but it isn’t easy to seamlessly pull all activity into one online space with the Google offer – yet.)
Cloud computing is more environmentally sustainable because it reduces the need for powerful local computer processors (your big CPU box that sits under your desk) and local servers that use a lot of energy and make a lot of heat (an so often use further energy by needing aircon environments).