This represents a return to the old days of computing, when the information required to run a computer was contained on removable media – the legacy A: drive. As the PC evolved, its operating information moved in-house to the C: drive. Hitachi’s plan would reunite the PC with its “dummy terminal” roots.
The new devices are being marketed to corporations worried about data leakage. All user information would be housed on central servers as profiles, so that if a computer terminal or laptop were to be stolen from the premises, no information would go with it. A new computer would be plugged into the mainframe, a password would be entered, and all the profile information stored on the public system by the employee would be available.
Hitachi would also market this plan to schools, hospitals and other institutions where taking data home is frowned upon. Alternatives such as computer tracking systems, described as “Lojack for computers,” that trace a stolen computer by its IP address as soon as it makes a connection to the Internet, are also seen as viable for companies and individuals, and cost far less than a dummy terminal and the reconfiguration required to set up a mainframe system.
Hitachi’s plan would ultimately be cost effective for large rollouts.
Hitachi, Japan’s largest electronics conglomerate, and smaller rival NEC offer hard drive-free laptops for approximately $1200, with desktops priced slightly less. Both will continue manufacturing consumer and business computers with hard drives.
