The next convergence

You probably have heard a bit about low power CPUs from Intel and AMD and probably don't really get the full picture of what's going on.

Here's the deal. Your computer and monitor consume between 300-400 watts of power. That's like 3 bulbs. If like me, if you have broadband internet, your computer is always on. So that means during each day you consume 7.2 kWA of electricity (trust me, I calculated for you). I pay about 5.22 cents per kWA - $.37/day - $11.65/month or $139.81 per year.

Within 5 years, the average computer will cost $299 with a lifespan of 3 years. However, power consumption will either stay the same or go up. This means that your computing costs will be something like this over 3 years:

Computer $300
Electricity $420

So you see the computer guys have a problem, the power guys have an opportunity and the only guys making real money are the internet/cable/phone guys who'd charge you something like this over 3 year:

Internet $1080
CableTV $1440
Phone $1080
Mobile Phone $1800


Makes sense for the power, phone, internet or cable guys to give you a computer for free sometime soon. Just like your cell phone. Remember where you heard this first when it hits.