Apple was recently issued a patent for a software technique that proposes to enhance Apple’s Mac OS X operating system by enabling it to both read and write account information to and from external storage devices such as iPods and iPhones. Apple explains in the filing that “by coupling the external, portable data store to another multi-user computer, a user is able to login to any supporting multi-user computer and be presented with their user configuration and user directory.”

This means that as the iPhone hard drive grows (which it will inevitably do) students will be able to carry their home directories and personal Mac OS X settings in their pockets. They will be able to dip into any machine throughout the day and access their own data, their own setups, their own everything. It seems that this development has the potential to dramatically decrease pressure on university infrastructures by reducing the need for network storage.

What are some other potential higher education applications for this nascent feature?

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