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Now that power and simplicity could migrate from the phone to the PC. rnrn“The experience that we have on our iPhones and smart phones prefigures what the PC will become,” said Nicholas Carr, the author of “The Big Switch,” a book about cloud computing.

Now that power and simplicity could migrate from the phone to the PC. rnrn“The experience that we have on our iPhones and smart phones prefigures what the PC will become,” said Nicholas Carr, the author of “The Big Switch,” a book about cloud computing.

Much of the computer world is inexorably moving toward “cloud computing,” in a shift that could greatly simplify the way we access and process digital information.

This has been the tantalizing but elusive vision of technology luminaries since the Web emerged in the mid-1990s.

This has been the tantalizing but elusive vision of technology luminaries since the Web emerged in the mid-1990s.

In the past few years, phones have started to act more like computers, and devices like the iPhone have whetted consumers’ appetite for a combination of power and simplicity.

E-mailing bulky attachments would be a thing of the past, as people could allow others to access their files online, making collaboration easier.

Much of the computer world is inexorably moving toward “cloud computing,” in a shift that could greatly simplify the way we access and process digital information.

But as technological obstacles to running most software inside a Web browser fall, the possibility of a big step forward is real.

E-mailing bulky attachments would be a thing of the past, as people could allow others to access their files online, making collaboration easier.

This has been the tantalizing but elusive vision of technology luminaries since the Web emerged in the mid-1990s.

For millions of consumers, though, the possibility of trading their old PCs for a slick, simple device that uses a Web browser to do just about everything they would want is increasingly close.

They are perennially vulnerable to virus attacks and require frequent upgrades.

They’re slow to start up and prone to crashing, wiping out precious files and photographs.

What’s more, without clear policies or regulations governing the privacy and ownership of data in the cloud, some consumers might resist putting the most personal details of their digital lives there.

What’s more, without clear policies or regulations governing the privacy and ownership of data in the cloud, some consumers might resist putting the most personal details of their digital lives there.

But unlike traditional operating systems like Microsoft’s Windows, which run all sorts of additional software, Google’s Chrome OS will do nothing more than ensure that its Web browser runs well and fast on your machine.

Many corporations have resisted shifting e-mail, accounting or customer tracking software to the Web, for fear of losing control over vital business functions.

This has been the tantalizing but elusive vision of technology luminaries since the Web emerged in the mid-1990s.

“It is visible on the horizon.”

Last week, the Internet search and advertising giant said it was working on a new operating system, the software that controls the basic functions of your computer, that will link users to the cloud.

Whether Chrome OS succeeds may not matter.

For millions of consumers, though, the possibility of trading their old PCs for a slick, simple device that uses a Web browser to do just about everything they would want is increasingly close.

Now that power and simplicity could migrate from the phone to the PC. rnrn“The experience that we have on our iPhones and smart phones prefigures what the PC will become,” said Nicholas Carr, the author of “The Big Switch,” a book about cloud computing.