The missing link.
We talk about post pc, now, but we aren’t there yet.
Because in the end, I don’t really WANT to buy a personal pc, but I need to. I shouldn’t need to. Here’s how to solve that problem.
I want to be able to download content and save it to a box, and have it accessible by streaming.
I want that box to be the central hub of my home network, letting be maintain backups and store content there, but without the pain in the ass of actually buying, setting up and managing another OS install.
I want a place where my dropbox account is backed up, where I can export files from my tablet and phone, where my media files can sit, and be served between my various devices.
So:
Create a product that is the equivalent of a very simple computer, but with no elements other than wireless capability, a reasonably sized HD, and the bare minimum other hardware to allow those two elements to run as a screenless, identity free ‘base station’. One per home. Strictly a place for ‘post pc’ devices like a tablet or a smartphone to link to, and strictly manageable, controllable, and accessible by those devices.
Build it into a wireless router, if want. Hell, make it a router / modem / base station combo, so I plug it into a wall, set a few details via a native or web-based app, and begin living in a world without a laptop or desktop computer.
If Google is looking for a way to make the Nexus Q something people would actually buy, this would be an approach.
