Photo by Kārlis Dambrāns
You don't have to be a gambler to place a bet on a mobile future. The evidence is all around you. In the last year or so, research from both analysts and tech firms has shown that:
- Sales of mobile devices are outstripping sales of desktop computers (see, for example, this research from Gartner).
- People are using multiple devices to access information even when they are at home (Google's report on The New Multi-Screen World makes interesting reading).
- Increasingly, people expect information to be available when they want it on any device (something that Forrester Research refers to as The Great Mobile Mind Shift).
- 46% of people use mobile devices exclusively for research (according to the Telmetrics Mobile Path to Purchase study cited in Search Engine Watch).
But these statistics just set the stage for a bigger shift that's on the way, where even current mobile devices will seem like yesterday's news. We're talking about wearable and embedded computing, the development which
MIT Technology Review columnist Mark Rolston predicts will kill off smartphones and tablets as quickly as those devices are currently replacing PCs.
Some even predict that computers will be inside us one day. Sound like sci-fi? It isn't.
Most of us already know about Google Glass – a tiny but powerful computer attached to a head mounted display which is part of a pair of sunglasses. While some don't quite see the point, others think it is totally awesome. Either way, this development is here to stay, as there are already a couple of Google Glass alternatives.
But Glass is not the only wearable in town. While Google is snapping up patents, other tech firms are said to be working on their own developments. These include Samsung and Apple, though other than unauthenticated concept pictures, there's nothing much to see yet. Most of the rumors center around smart watches that go a bit beyond today's activity trackers, but as early as January 2013, design firm Koru's Christian Lindholm was predicting audio wearables, smart jewelry and sensors in everything. It’s coming – the only question is when.
Tech enthusiasts will no doubt be quick to test every new device as it emerges, though it could take a while for these to filter to the mainstream. But with Google taking steps to ensure that Glass works with prescription lenses, there seems little doubt that the future is mobile.
