05-28-11: Tom6897Not sure that is correct. The least expensive SSD of around 1TB capacity currently offered by Newegg.com is $2699, which I believe is down a few hundred dollars in the last several months. About 8 months ago I had purchased a Crucial 128GB sata3 model (not nearly large enough for mass data storage) for about $275. Typical prices at various sellers for comparable models today are around $240.
If you want to store your personal data/music/photos/medical and financial currently it looks as if Solid State Drives (SSD) will soon replace common IDE/SATA Drives as the preferred method of local storage. (prices are dropping about 30% per quarter).
Re cloud computing, the motivations for it seem to be mainly business-oriented -- the promise of lower costs to business for software and IT services, and the ability to adapt to changing software needs quickly and at lower cost. I don't see any comparable driving forces, or comparable interest, in the consumer space. Which of course does not necessarily mean that it won't ultimately be foisted on the consumer.
In addition to the obvious concerns cloud computing raises about security and privacy, I would add reliability. Not only at the data centers, but with respect to internet connectivity. A few years ago the school system in my town lost connectivity for a considerable period of time because a construction crew accidentally severed their underground lines. If something like that were to happen to a large company that is dependent on the cloud, hundreds or thousands of employees could find themselves twiddling their thumbs for many hours or days.
Time will tell.
Regards,
-- Al