Internet Appliances

Internet appliances are electronic devices used to perform tasks (e.g., write letters and send emails) that do not necessarily require the processing power and all the functionality that a personal computer (PC) affords. Internet appliances are also referred to as Web appliances, information appliances, Internet toasters, and Internet terminals. Arguments persist about what type of technology an Internet appliance actually is. However, the majority agree that the appliance needs to meet two criteria: It connects directly to the Internet through an Internet service provider (ISP) in order to connect with an application service provider (ASP) to download necessary software; and its primary use is to connect to the Internet. Internet appliances are becoming more numerous, so much so that Cahners In-Stat Group predicts the sales of Internet appliances may outstrip those of the PC by 2004.

The trend among many computer users is to use PCs for tasks like surfing the Internet, emailing friends, and writing letters. Such tasks require little computer processing power, but consumers often buy expensive PCs to perform these mundane tasks; hence the need for a smaller device that is more specifically tailored to accomplishing such simple tasks with minimal cost and equipment.

Internet appliances are less powerful than PCs. They have minimal memory, smaller hard drive space, less local software, and less processing power. The size of an Internet appliance can vary, from a desktop model that looks like a regular PC to a handheld device no bigger than a portable cassette player. Most Internet appliances utilize an internal modem to connect with an ISP and ASP, although the trend is to use wireless networks, which allows some of the smaller Internet appliances to be portable.

Small Internet appliances such as two-way pagers, Web cellular phones, and WebTV, can already be found in homes. WebTV, one of the first commercially available Internet appliances, adds Internet surfing and email capabilities to a television. Some consumers observed that while WebTV is relatively cheap compared to a PC, the fact that other household members could not watch TV if one person was using the TV to search the Internet was a distinct drawback. This difficulty led companies to begin creating stand-alone desktop Internet appliances.

Desktop Internet appliances like Qubit's Atom and iPac's IA-2 looked like a standard PC. However, these eventually gave way to portable handheld devices such as 3Com's Ergo Audrey, Gateway's Gateway Connected Touch Pad, and Compaq's iPac IA-1, with flat-panel LCD screens, and miniaturized keyboards or stylus for inputting. Recent Internet appliances also have the ability to link with other hardware devices, such as digital cameras and printers.

Each Internet appliance is built specifically to execute a small number of tasks, and the uses to which it can be put vary greatly. For this reason, some critics [Page 252]initially believed that the industry had taken a step backward; instead of utilizing one computer for thousands of tasks, a person would need several Internet appliances to accomplish different tasks.

With the advent of more capabilities for Internet appliances, consumers should be aware that other drawbacks exist over and above their lack of standard PC computing power. Internet appliances are sometimes tied to specific ISPs and ASPs, thus restricting what software is available. Fees still must be paid for Internet connections to the ISP and, in addition, different ASP providers ask for fees for users to utilize their programs. Different fees may be charged on a regular basis, even after the Internet appliance is bought, although some free programs are being made available. With the market for Internet appliances expanding, users can expect them to tackle a broader range of tasks and feature more refined programs in the future.

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