Over the last several years we have seen an explosion in the way people and companies are starting to use Mobile devices, whether they are Smartphones or Tablets, to aid Productivity! It is changing the way we do business, similar to the way the introduction of the PC did just over 20 years ago.
However, the is one major difference:
While it’s often easy to see how mobile solutions could transform existing capabilities, work practices and productivity. A lot of organizations are going further saying ‘What If‘, discovering entirely new, disruptive business ideas that are made possible by the concept of Mobility and the changing way we work and seizing the opportunities that these ideas are opening up.
It won’t happen in my lifetime!
To see how far we have come watch this clip, which comes from a 1993 Newsweek CD-ROM, when Newsweek thought that one day, magazines would be sent to you in CD-ROM form, sponsored with ads. this one showing the World as AT&T saw it in its “You Will” Ads. At the time it could have come from “Blade Runner“
Ask an Eighteen year old today,
- “What’s a Fax?”
- “What’s a Telephone Box?”
- “What’s guaranteed Life Time Employment and working 9 to 5″
Tomorrow
The following clip is from Microsoft and shows their vision of the future, but we could have used anyones.
All of the ideas in the video are based on real technology. Some of the capabilities, such as speech recognition, real time collaboration and data visualization already exist today. Others are not yet available in specific products, but represent active research and development happening at Microsoft and other companies.
Watch this video to see how we see technology moving from a passive tool to a more active assistant, helping us get things done, and strengthening our interactions with one another. You’ll see how people can stay productive using a variety of devices from slates and PCs to mobile devices where they can access their information regardless of their location or the device they are using.
Collaborating on projects with remote colleagues gets easier. Information can be interacted with and manipulated using touch and voice commands to create beautiful and useful documents. Better decisions can be made faster with information that is contextually relevant to where you are and what you are doing.
For further information visit: Microsoft Productivity Future Vision
Even as you are reading this, changes are occurring in the market,
- Apple have just released ‘Siri‘ Beta on the iPhone 4S and introduced the ‘iCloud‘
- Google have in Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich: ‘Android Beam‘, a new feature specific to the Near Field Communications (NFC) technology and currently used for sharing across two NFC-enabled devices. NFC is also the way various Credit Card Companies and Resellers hope to bring mobile payment service to the general public.
- Adoption of Cloud Computing for Businesses - The Place to Be..
Your Next Step
“As for the future, your task is not to foresee it, but to enable it.” — Antoine de Saint-Exupery
So how do you prepare for this evolution and gain the advantage? Start preparing now! To help you Deloitte South Africa have released a White paper which may be of interest:
Constant disruption in the mobility world can add up to big opportunity—if you play it right. Here’s how to stay focused by taking a truly enterprise approach from day one. We’ve seen this before. A major new technology disruption hits the business world and a mad dash for quick value ensues. Early movers can find themselves knee-deep in unforeseen complexity—requiring a “redo” just in time for the world to settle down and the game to move to higher-order opportunities. Mobility is another one of those disruptive forces.
To read more please visit Deloitte South Africa and download the WhitePaper
This was originally posted on the Calm Ventures blog in November 2011, and a lot of what is mentioned is already being seen today.
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