The Future of Mobile: Apps are Dead!
Technological Paradigms
HTML 5, tablets, miniature tablets, and smartphones are powerful recent advancements that may just revolutionize our daily lives. As I type this on my iPad sitting in a coffee shop somewhere I contemplate the future of personal computing and software… we just may be on the cusp of a tipping point as tablet purchases are nearly overtaking the annual sales of laptops and desktop computers combined.
Today as this shift to mobilize technology is taking place, handheld software applications or “apps” are becoming the epicenter of innovation. As important as apps are to simplifying our busy lives by giving us up-to-the second access to personal information, do not overlook hardware integration as an under-leveraged opportunity for innovative growth. Digital entrepreneurs are looking at integrating your phone with existing technologies that you use every day (like your car or thermometer) or brand new creations that you may not know you need but will soon be carrying with you every day. Here are some examples:
Square
Internet entrepreneur and Twitter founder, Jack Dorsey, has started a little revolution called Square. A company that provides mobile credit card processing in the form of a square card reader that plugs into your phone’s mobile headphone jack. If you have been to any crafts shows of late you will plainly see how this little card reader has impacted the lives of thousands of artists who can now accept a card as payment anywhere. This has been so successful that nearly $10 billion in transactions were processed in 2012.
Automobile Integration
BMW, GM, Mercedes, LandRover, Jaguar, Audi, Toyota, Chrysler, and Honda all have inked deals with Apple to integration their car’s on board computer with the iPhone to offer “Eyes Free” communication capabilities with the phone’s Siri program.
It will not be long before your car is talking to you through a phone like KITT guided Michael Knight through danger! “Michael, my oil is low, please seek maintenance.” Here are some more things this integration may do:
- Unlock your doors
- start your car
- check your oil level
- Check gas mileage remotely
Personal Fitness
Nike and Jawbone are producing bio-bracelets to track activity and monitor sleep patterns. Thermometers are being developed that connect to your phone to monitor temperature and heart rate through the measurement of light.
http://allthingsd.com/20120119/with-fuelband-nike-gets-into-the-ultra-wearable-fitness-game/
What does this mean for mobile?
The future of mobile is so much more than just snazzy new integrations that give personality to mundane machines. The future is going to be a place where many of the electronics you own today will slim down to unimaginable size and portability because they will no longer need elements that are commonly available in your phone. Today 50% of the US phone carrying population are carrying Smart Phones with unprecedented memory, processing speed and unabashed access to the internet. Electronics small and large will integrate with these feature via blue tooth and leverage your phone’s massive internal memory, connection to the net, contact list, musical library, etc… I imagine a day when DSLR cameras will fit in your pocket because they will sync shots to your phone to leverage storage, post images to social networks and back up images to the cloud.
In conclusion, the future is looking amazing!
