There are many benefits to the PS4 acting as a client to a cloud service that the Playstation app communicates with.
There is literally no benefit to PS4 acting as a webserver for the Playstation app.
The only reason they would make it a PS4 webserver is that they aren't able to scale their own infrastructure up enough before launch.
That isn't a permanent problem, and they said it might possibly change in the future.
But it is certainly not a good sign of their cloud infrustructure.
But they already said that you can make purchases on your phone while away from home and it'll start the PS4. I think you're reading far too much into this statement.
You can. If you open whatever port the PS4 is using on your router.
What?
Where did this come from?
I ask again, is there equivalent Smartglass functionality I'm not aware of?
Does the fact that we don't know yet if you can remote-purchase something on the X1 and start the system by itself make you worry about MS' s cloud infrastructure, then?
We do know you can remote purchase on Xbox One.
Xbox One acts as a client to a cloud service, it can open a connection to an external server no problem. Smartglass also act as a client to a cloud service.
PS4 is an intermediate server between PS App and PS servers, you'll have to mess with your routers port security to access it thru an external host or else your router will block your request to the PS4 web server.
Dat speculation.
Makes sense to have the PS4 communicate directly with the tablet on a local area network. Everything else you've said here is unknown at this point.
Yep. That's it tho.
Smartglass does the same thing but with wifi direct if you're near your Xbone.