The dangers of 'cloud computing' have just been amply demonstrated

I've written before about the hazards inherent in so-called 'cloud computing'. Last week's data outage among users of T-Mobile's Sidekick device was a graphic illustration of just how dangerous it is to entrust one's personal data and valuable information to a third party, rather than have it under one's immediate control. The more that emerges about the problem, the more troubling the situation sounds. Consider recent speculation and allegations:

• Did Microsoft betray its contract with T-Mobile in favor of trying to forge an alliance with another mobile service provider?
• What does this data loss say about Microsoft's about-to-be-launched Windows Azure 'cloud computing' operating system? Will data held on Microsoft servers by that system be at similar risk?
• Did Microsoft try to 'dogfood' its acquisition of Danger, cutting out third-party hardware and software in favor of its own solutions - and thereby precipitate the data crash?
• Has Microsoft, through this disastrous debacle, shut itself out of the mobile market altogether, at least for the short to medium term?
  

It's worth reading the linked articles if you want to see a classic example of how not to manage a hi-tech enterprise. I've been considering buying a new notebook, using Windows 7, but after this I might just give a much longer, harder look to Apple's offerings.

Peter