Makes me wonder if we're on the crux of a shift back to client-based software. Historically changes in the relative cost of computing components have driven most of the shifts in the computing industry. Cheap teletypes & peripherals fueled the shift from batch-processing mainframes to timesharing minicomputers. Cheap CPUs & RAM fueled the shift from minicomputers to microcomputers. Cheap and fast networking fueled the shift from desktop software to the cloud. Will cheap SSDs & TPU/GPUs fuel a shift back toward thicker clients?
There are a bunch of supporting social trends toward this as well. Renewed emphasis on privacy. Big Tech canceling beloved products, bricking devices, and generally enshittifying everything - a lot of people want locally-controlled software that isn't going to get worse at the next update. Ever-rising prices which make people want to lock in a price for the device and not deal with increasing rents for computing power.
I think a major limiting factor here for many applications is that mobile users are a huge portion of the user base. In that space storage, and more importantly battery life, are still at a premium. Granted the storage cost just seems to be gouging from my layman’s point of view, so industry needs might force a shift upwards.
There are a bunch of supporting social trends toward this as well. Renewed emphasis on privacy. Big Tech canceling beloved products, bricking devices, and generally enshittifying everything - a lot of people want locally-controlled software that isn't going to get worse at the next update. Ever-rising prices which make people want to lock in a price for the device and not deal with increasing rents for computing power.