Will Mobile Devices Bring Dramatic Changes?

[Midpack]

There have been many recent articles suggesting that mobile devices (plus the cloud and mobile apps, etc.) are going to radically change our lives, and it seems more convincing now than just a few years ago. Most of them seem to conclude:

a) we haven't seen anything yet (music, online retail & newspapers/magazines is just the beginning), and
b) it's going to happen much faster than most people expect.
​

The implications re: current jobs and future jobs are pretty startling, the workforce is going to have to change considerably.

I suspect we'll very soon see a generation who never have a need for a PC or laptop, they will grow up with mobile devices. Wow?

It's an interesting and believable idea IMO...

The mobile wave is coming. If you're not ready to ride it, you'll be swept away by a tsunami of change that will fundamentally alter the world.

That's the theme of The Mobile Wave by software entrepreneur Michael Saylor. The book explores how mobile devices such as iPhones and iPads will change jobs, healthcare, banking, politics, law enforcement, and much more.

Mobile computing, Saylor says, is a "tipping point technology" for the information revolution — a revolution that began with writing on clay tablets, and continued through the invention of the printing press and computers.

Mobile will be "the catalyst that brings society the most dramatic changes of the Information Revolution," he writes.

I really wanted to cut-n-paste the whole article, but I know better Review: IPads, smartphones in world-changing 'Mobile Wave'

 

[W2R]

Absolutely. I think that pretty soon, desktop computers and even laptop computers will be museum pieces and everyone will have mobile devices, instead. Whether we like it or not, I also think we will all be storing our files in the cloud almost exclusively, and I even think that internet anonymity will eventually become a thing of the past.

Time moves on, and technology does too. Oh brave new world.

I'm not sure I will like these changes, but then there are times when I really miss the old days already. Remember when we used to write our own software instead of buying/renting it? I haven't even seen a command line for years, other than a command line emulator.

 

[eytonxav]

Along with that, the cables for TV/Internet that are presently providing service to our homes will be replaced by wireless.

 

[donheff]

Not quite buying that larger devices will disappear. Mobile will be much more ubiquitous (I already have an iPad, iPhone, and small Droid reader/tablet) but I think a bigger screen and keyboard device (all-in-one or large laptop/dock) will hold a place at home for many of us for years to come. As to the ability to transform things, yeah mobile is shaking things up.

 

[rodi]

As the mom of school age kids - it amazes me how much the classroom has changed to be much more tech savvy. Netbooks are the minimum, tablets are becoming more common.

That said - looking at my kids as the model - they still want to play games on the bigger PC screen. (Minecraft, portal 2). There are android apps - but they're crippled vesrions of the full PC versions.

There's definitely a generational thing going to... Most of my peers (I'm 51 - so folks in their mid 40's and up) at work have "feature" phones (dumb phones). The younger crew (30's and below) are 100% smart phone - use all the enterprise apps on their phones, etc. You see them coming up with new/innovative ways to use their smart phones to solve problems in the lab. (Engineering lab).

 

[ratto]

The mobile computing definitely will make dramatic change to our life; but for better or worse in long run, I'm not sure. There have already been reports on people for having anxieties, insomnia and other problems for being "hooked" to their mobiles devices (MD) constantly. Some people even have to have their MDs next to them or between them and their partners at night in bed. It's even getting popular for young people in some developing countries to borrow loans to make the purchase then immediately suffer the buyer's remorse afterwards. Some people have become so addicted to the frivolous online social networking using their MDs day and night, even during shower and breakfast/dinner. If this is the trend of our society will turn into aided with the mobile computing, I personally would rather not to have it at all. This is not even considering the potential bodily injuries from not paying attention to surrounding environment, colossal thumb syndrome from the decade long over-texting and health risk associated with extended exposure to high duty cycle RF radiation from large volume of digital data transmission.

Who knows what conclusion will be made 20 years down the road regarding the mobile computing, smart phones and so called "smart" apps running on them. I probably won't be surprised if they will be regarded as not only the most influential technology innovation in recent history, but the most destructive technology innovation as well in terms of sociology, psychology and physiology.

 

[Midpack]

Not quite buying that larger devices will disappear. Mobile will be much more ubiquitous (I already have an iPad, iPhone, and small Droid reader/tablet) but I think a bigger screen and keyboard device (all-in-one or large laptop/dock) will hold a place at home for many of us for years to come. As to the ability to transform things, yeah mobile is shaking things up.

I agree with all your observations. As for the larger screen at home and a real keyboard, I agree, but there may not be a "computer" attached. Buddy of mine who owns an IT company tells me we'll have a small cube with a CPU, ports and a keyboard but nothing else. Apps and files will be in the cloud, and most connections will be wireless. Again, I think this may happen faster than most of us realize, time will tell. I use my iPad for everything possible (vs the PC), didn't even have it two years ago...

 

[MichaelB]

It's not the mobile device that makes the difference, it's what it can do. Remember Watson on Jeopardy last year. Context-free knowledge based systems. Make that application specific, download the front end to a mobile device and the possibilities are endless.

 

[travelover]

You will probably think me nutz for saying this, but I believe that in the not too distant future a direct interface between the brain and electronic devices will change everything. Scientists have already created devices where monkeys can play video games by "thinking" about where the cursor should move. Research is ongoing and encouraging to allow paraplegics to bypass cut nerves to control limbs by thought alone.

Brain

The implications are profound - everyone with all the knowledge of the internet just by mentally asking a question. Of course, initially this will hugely favor those that can afford the technology.

 

[mh]

Absolutely. I think that pretty soon, desktop computers and even laptop computers will be museum pieces and everyone will have mobile devices, instead. Whether we like it or not, I also think we will all be storing our files in the cloud almost exclusively, and I even think that internet anonymity will eventually become a thing of the past.

Time moves on, and technology does too. Oh brave new world.

I'm not sure I will like these changes, but then there are times when I really miss the old days already. Remember when we used to write our own software instead of buying/renting it? I haven't even seen a command line for years, other than a command line emulator.

IMHO It's never been easier and cheaper to write your own software than right now. My Mac has a terminal app right there in the application folder. And Xcode is pretty cheap if you want a fancier development environment. So it's quite easy to still make your model T. And if you are more ambitious and want to make a Ferrari , well that opportunity is there also. There are even "social programming" sites like github that let you find and collaborate with people that want to make software you are mutually interested in making.

 

[imoldernu]

Augmented Reality...
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/23/technology/google-glasses-will-be-powered-by-android.html?_r=0

bound only by imagination...

and when you add this....
".. implantable micro-arrays capable of recording brain signals, in addition to clinical trials demonstrating safely implantable neural interfaces for control..."

http://newsfeed.time.com/2010/08/08/the-future-is-now-brain-powered-prosthetic-limbs/

 

[rbmrtn]

I agree with all your observations. As for the larger screen at home and a real keyboard, I agree, but there may not be a "computer" attached. Buddy of mine who owns an IT company tells me we'll have a small cube with a CPU, ports and a keyboard but nothing else. Apps and files will be in the cloud, and most connections will be wireless. Again, I think this may happen faster than most of us realize, time will tell. I use my iPad for everything possible (vs the PC), didn't even have it two years ago...

What's funny to me about this is this was all being done 30 yrs ago, conceptually speaking. We had a mainframe in another building, users were connected via serial cables from dumb terminals. All the apps were on the mainframe. Now replace the mainframe with the "cloud" and serial cables with internet connection... same thing. Everything got moved to the desktop because it was supposed to cheaper/easier to manage yadayadayada....

 

[ziggy29]

Remember Watson on Jeopardy last year.

Yeah, the supercomputer that thought Toronto was a U.S. city?

 

[Midpack]

What's funny to me about this is this was all being done 30 yrs ago, conceptually speaking. We had a mainframe in another building, users were connected via serial cables from dumb terminals. All the apps were on the mainframe. Now replace the mainframe with the "cloud" and serial cables with internet connection... same thing. Everything got moved to the desktop because it was supposed to cheaper/easier to manage yadayadayada....

I think you're underestimating the impact of "mobile." There are many people already who are connected almost every waking moment, and many more connecting every day. Opens up app demand dramatically, all sorts of new possibilities that just don't exist with stationary "computers." We're going to find out soon enough.

In the interview with the author I saw last night, he said there are already schools where students must show up with a tablet device on day one, there are only eBooks for classes. When I went to school I had to have a #2 pencil and a pad of paper.

 

[mickj]

I definitely think things will advance quickly, but I don't see mobile devices anytime in the near future replacing a device with a mouse and keyboard.

Too many jobs require inputting too much text, so far the keyboard is the most efficient for such activities.

 

[audreyh1]

Well I'm just delighted that the Internet can now bring me stuff to watch on the TV (or mobile device if I wish) and I don't have to rely on cable companies or off-air broadcast companies.

 

[MichaelB]

Yeah, the supercomputer that thought Toronto was a U.S. city?

You mean it's not?

 

[Nords]

There have been many recent articles suggesting that mobile devices (plus the cloud and mobile apps, etc.) are going to radically change our lives, and it seems more convincing now than just a few years ago. Most of them seem to conclude:

a) we haven't seen anything yet (music, online retail & newspapers/magazines is just the beginning), and
b) it's going to happen much faster than most people expect.
​

The implications re: current jobs and future jobs are pretty startling, the workforce is going to have to change considerably.

Let me guess-- USA today is not aware that European chip & PIN cards and mobile wallets are more advanced than American payment systems.

I'm ready for a mobile wallet, just as soon as it can take the place of every piece of crap that I have to carry around in my physical wallet. I want that with my personal jet pack and my flying car, too.

You mean it's not?

Sssshhhhh! Let the U.S. Census Bureau finish tabulating the results before we tell Canada!

 

[deserat]

Yes - mobile is growing and growing exponentially....however, we are still human and ergonomics still makes and break things. In some studies I support on the use of mobile telecommunications in healthcare, the elderly patient still needs larger screens, larger keyboards and human interaction - will our future generations, perhaps, but even they will suffer from shaky hands, deteriorating eyesight, chronic diseases and need assistance - can mobile telecommunications and devices assist in ameliorating the issues associated with growing old, yes, however, we are still a social species and will need some type of human interaction...however, I would steer people towards Asimov's Robot series book about a truly virtual world.

Also, scaling is difficult with miniaturization...one will still need some larger things to accommodate the scaling and aggregation that occurs as one moves up the telecom ladder. Probably what will be the best of this is we will have many different types of tools to meet our needs and not just a one-size-fits-all.

 

[JoeWras]

I w*rk in the midst of this tidal wave. It is happening, and I guess I'm even benefiting.

But I don't have a device yet.

My hang up is the monthly charges. I think once a lot of the wireless access methods are worked out (all the gibberish of 4G, LTE, Wifi, etc.) and rates drop some day, or access speeds improve, then I'll buy in and go with the flow.

I'm also glad someone mentioned the brain interface. This will happen, sooner than people think. But before the brain, at least a "glasses" based interface is right around the corner. Very soon plenty of people will be mobile and you won't even know they are.

For the record. My eyes and fingers are getting old. I like my full sized keyboard.

 

[Katsmeow]

I do think that mobile devices will become more and more useful and even necessary. I posted awhile back a post about the many things that a smartphone can do and it is a long list:

http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f27/son-wants-to-waste-money-62895.html#post1228753

I also find myself doing more and more online (although not necessarily using a mobile device) and am annoyed when I can't do some things online -- the restaurant without a menu and nutritional info online, the vendor where you can't pay online, etc.

I have an iPad and a smartphone (currently an Android phone, previously had an iphone) and use them all the time.

That said, I'm sitting here with my brand new Falcon Northwest Tiki computer and looking at one 26" monitor and another 24" monitor. I love my iPad for consuming media but for actual writing or doing things beyond that -- give me a desktop PC.

And, I play World of Warcraft which requires a real computer not an iPad. And I love the power of a gaming computer.

That said -- I often have to realize that I am not typical. I was talking to a co-worker recently who said that her PC at home is gathering dust as she uses her iPad almost exclusively. Many people primarily use computers for consumption of information and find the iPad enough alone. It isn't enough for me, but it probably is enough for most people.

The ideal device would be one that could serve all these functions. Could be a tablet like the ipad. Could have an effective keyboard for heavier duty use. Could run all the PC programs and hook up to dual large monitors. Some of that exists now, but not all of it in one package.

 

[Alan]

In the UK you can use your mobile phone at ATM's to get cash from Natwest and Royal Bank of Scotland.

BBC News - ATMs to operate without a card

This week I was listening to Moneybox on the BBC where they have had to suspend the service because a number of folks have had their accounts hacked and lots of cash withdrawn without their since they had not even downloaded the app, but the thieves had, and the bank doesn't know how it is happening. At first they were accusing the complainants that they must have given personal details to fraudsters but with enough incidents they realized that the apps were being downloaded some other way. (To get the app you call the bank, answer some detailed questions, enter a PIN and an app is downloaded to your smartphone).

 

[rodi]

I'm also glad someone mentioned the brain interface. This will happen, sooner than people think. But before the brain, at least a "glasses" based interface is right around the corner. Very soon plenty of people will be mobile and you won't even know they are.

https://plus.google.com/+projectglass/posts
I saw these at an event at my workplace. It's coming.

And like you - I'm hung up on the prices of the mobile connectivity. I have an android tablet - but it's wifi. And I just got a smart phone but am thinking of cancelling the data plan because I don't use it that much except as a phone.

 

[kumquat]

Don't know, don't care. It'll be a long time before I give up my buggy whip.

 

[sheehs1]

In the UK you can use your mobile phone at ATM's to get cash from Natwest and Royal Bank of Scotland.

BBC News - ATMs to operate without a card

This week I was listening to Moneybox on the BBC where they have had to suspend the service because a number of folks have had their accounts hacked and lots of cash withdrawn without their since they had not even downloaded the app, but the thieves had, and the bank doesn't know how it is happening. At first they were accusing the complainants that they must have given personal details to fraudsters but with enough incidents they realized that the apps were being downloaded some other way. (To get the app you call the bank, answer some detailed questions, enter a PIN and an app is downloaded to your smartphone).

I predict a LOT of fraud with the explosion of wireless mobile applications.