AOL service aims to 'untether' desktop PCs | CNET News.com
America Online on Tuesday launched a new service designed for Windows users with a hankering to access, say, their entire home computer from work--or vice versa--without lugging any cargo.Through a password-protected, 128-bit encrypted virtual desktop, customers can gain full access to all their applications and documents; view, edit and share files; and print those files to a local printer without having to install extra drivers.
As the article points out, this isn't the first "Citrix for the Masses" product out there, but the fact that AOL is pushing it is fairly significant. For all the talk of AOL's imminent death, they still have a broad reach. And if AOL's offering this kind of service, the other ISPs will probably follow suit (the same way they all offer some kind of lame media store, anti-virus, etc).
The idea of having access to your home system and files while on the road is enticing. Especially if you can route entertainment through your home system (TV shows, movies, music, photos), which is why this market may not fully develop until Apple makes their play here. If Apple can crack the code to allow seamless interaction with your Mac at home while you're on the road with your company-issued Windows computer-shaped object, that could unleash an awful lot of Mac buying.
