Cloud OS

As I write this blog, I am sitting somewhere above 35,000 feet in the air and it got me thinking about the whole ‘cloud’ technology - something which Google plan to roll out as their answer to OSx and Windows.

I would consider Emirates to be quite a premium’ish airline. I am currently traveling on the Glasgow - Dubai sector (approx 7 hour journey). I’ve flown with Emirates for years, ever since I was a kid. It seems like their ‘entertainment’ is lacking big style. Yes, its a given that they possibly have an edge over other ‘premium airlines’ in terms of service and ‘entertainment’ but throughout the last ten years - I can’t think of a single thing which they’ve done to make the travel experience more smooth. Yes, added a few more movies and radio options but nothing significant.

Narrowing the above down, what angers me is the fact that there is no WiFi on this aircraft nor any Emirates aircraft i’ve been on - and i’ve flown on many long distance routes. Yes, they have their own internet service built into the tiny screen on the back of each seat - however, i’ve NEVER seen anyone use the service. This is possibly down to two reasons; a) pricing and b) poor UI.

For me sitting in this aircraft, I have wasted almost 7 hours of work - I could be so much more productive if only they offered a WiFi service - which I would not hesitate in paying for. Furthermore, I have got an additional 7 hours to fly once I reach Dubai (Dubai - Shanghai sector). Back in 2003, Emirates was proud that it was the first airline to offer the use of mobile phones in aircrafts. Why could they not do the same with internet usage? One could argue that such technologies could take a lot of money to implement - which is true from a short term view, the bigger picture is what the guys in Emirates HQ are missing out on. If i’m not mistaken, Virgin offer an internet WiFi service in the ‘cloud’ or 40,000 feet in the air so I simply can not see why its not already implemented here by the Sheikhs.

Getting back to the ‘cloud OS’, it is for the above reasons why I know that cloud will simply not work until the internet options get more mainstream. I’ve said all along that Google Chrome OS may be good for a secondary OS but definetly not a primary. If your thinking of going all out on Google Chrome - your going to regret doing so. For me, until I can use WiFi in a public toliet (literally) - I won’t be recommending it to anyone.

What are your views on WiFi on planes and the Google Chrome OS in general? Have you perhaps flown with an airline which offers WiFi support? Please do comment below as I am interested in hearing from you.


iGlaswegian.com
12th January 2010