News.com writes about Sun’s plans to use its SunRay line for the home segment and airplanes:
Sun Microsystems will work with telecommunications companies to offer a SunRay device that could replace desktop home computers, the company said last week. Instead of a hard drive, the SunRay computer uses remote servers for software and data storage, accessed using a high-speed Internet connection. Network computer products along these lines have failed in the past, but Sun argues that a key problem before was a lack of bandwidth, which is now widely available through DSL (digital subscriber line) and cable broadband.
[Sun] also envisions a version of the SunRay device for airplanes. Josef Edlinger, a manager of engineering and technology at a Sun, said the company is in talks with airlines over combining a SunRay machine with a seatback screen to give passengers Internet access and the ability to do tasks such as word processing.
I think there is a big opportunity for affordable thin clients in Indian homes, bundled with a fixed price always-on connection. The client may need to have some applications running quickly till real broadband becomes available. A hardware, software, connectivity and support bundle priced at Rs 600-800 per month could be a very attractive proposition for 40 million Indian homes.
