Chrome Browser’s Incognito Mode a Harbinger of Change

I think there’s more to the Google Chrome browser’s “Incognito” mode than surfing for porn or “to plan surprises like gifts or birthdays” (Google’s own description).

It’s the harbinger of change and most people are missing it.

To run incognito, Chrome doesn’t save any data to the computer’s hard drive.

We know this, so “big deal” right?

Yes, it is a BIG deal.

For anyone who has ever had to use the lobby PC at a hotel to check into a flight or send off a quick email, there’s always that lingering doubt on whether you’ve left passwords, account numbers of other sensitive information behind.

That’s no longer a problem when you use Chrome.

But wait, it gets better…

I think most people can easily imagine a world where we can do most, if not all of our work using fast web apps with all of our data stored online (and thus eliminating the need for local hard drive storage).

Combine this “working in web apps world” with the inevitable future where PC’s become very cheap or even free as prices continue to fall.

At a certain price level, PC’s become almost “disposable” don’t they?  Maybe this is why Dell is selling off its manufacturing plants? (read here).

(Btw – when we no longer need hard drive storage, the price of PCs will drop further).

This “web app only” world of “disposable PC’s” makes having your own PC/Laptop, a whole lot less necessary doesn’t it?

Taking it one step further, knowing that none of your data would be stored on the computer you use to do your work, you would have the freedom to use which ever “computing appliance” happened to be within reach.

In this world, you might be even compelled in the future to make use of a “disposable loaner PC” given out by hotels when you check in… or the “internet kiosk” now showing up in taxi cabs now (see here).

Not having your apps, data and information stored on one hard drive will make it really easy to work at whatever desk happens to be available in the office too, once again changing traditional concepts of “work environments”.

So, going “incognito” is not just about hiding what you’re doing when you should be working.

It’s about a world where the hardware you use to do your work matters even less to you than it does right now because of Chrome’s “incognito” mode.