"Technology becomes widespread not by being dumbed down for normals, but by turning normals into nerds." - Marc Andreessen
With the year 2015 coming to an end, I find myself reflecting on what feels like the end of one era, and the beginning of another.
New technology begins as the proverbial "dog that walks on its hind legs."
It's sort of capable, but also clearly NOT designed for the task at hand. More parlor trick than perfection.
Over time, use cases are vetted, design improves and technology matures into reliable goods, services and experiences. This is the utility age.
Ultimately, these things get to be so good, and so mass consumer as to be affordable to pretty much everyone everywhere.
At this point, the technology becomes ubiquitous, perpetual and deeply integrated into society.
It is thought to be 'embedded' to the point of invisibility (i.e., so ubiquitous that it is invisible).
As these capabilities become stitched together, a singularity occurs, creating new experiences and fertile ground for innovation and delight (look at how Uber combines smart phone, maps, proximity and real time as one simple example).
With that progression in mind, consider the 15 items below as the 'power tools' of the coming Transformation.
Follow their evolution from the dog on its hind legs, to reliable, to awesome, to ubiquitous, and finally, to singularity:
- The Internet of Things - Billions of interconnected Sensors, Capture Devices, Controls and Control Systems
- Drones
- Virtual Reality
- Siri, and natural language, voice-driven personal assistants
- Google Maps
- Native App Stores
- iTunes
- Amazon Prime
- Uber
- AirBNB
- Tesla - Software eating the automobile
- Self Driving Cars
- Robotics
- Big Data - Data Warehousing, Predictive, Personalized, Real Time Intelligence
- Wireless Mobile Broadband Everywhere
What's telling about the above list is that none of these items are 'reaches' or evenly overly futuristic. Minimally, the dog on its hind legs already exists for each of these items, and many are already at the awesome stage.
But, know this. The full realization of this wave, its execution and application, is coming, and it's going to be pretty wondrous.
