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What will the post-PC world look like? This was one of the most asked questions this year at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Having been in the middle of this revolution for the past seven years, I'd like to raise my hand and state my predictions of what I think is the future. But first let’s start with some context for the reader…Mr. Bean-like moments. I saw one of those Mr. Bean-like moments in Las Vegas, NV which struck me at the time as funny, but in reality, it's just the way of the new world. A man was walking down the sidewalk in Las Vegas looking at his mobile, you know the way one does with eyes on an important email. Guess what? He walked straight into a sign post, dropping the phone and ending up flat on the ground in front of about 30 people.
Snow, snow and more snow. If you haven't heard, the past week has seen the UK covered with a blanket of snow. Well, we don't cope too well with the winter white stuff; roads were closed, planes/trains cancelled and schools closed (not long enough for my kids though). Doing a quick poll amongst friends, we were all reaching for a magic app on our smartphones and tablets to check the weather, for road closures, and if or when school was opening back up (aka. the data).
Donations and planes. I travelled from Phoenix, AZ to Los Angeles, CA last week which is not a great distance when flown non-stop by US Airways. I'd just heard a great speech by ARM’s Mike Inglis, who will be doing a round-the-world charity boat race and is also raising money for Cancer Research UK along his journey. I decided to donate while I was miles above ground, it was quite simple…I pulled out my tablet on the plane, connected to wifi and donated within minutes. Two years ago, I would have had to wait till I made the lounge or got home. So I did a quick check and 29 or 31 people on the plane were using tablets or phones for content consumption rather than the laptop.
Snow, snow and more snow. If you haven't heard, the past week has seen the UK covered with a blanket of snow. Well, we don't cope too well with the winter white stuff; roads were closed, planes/trains cancelled and schools closed (not long enough for my kids though). Doing a quick poll amongst friends, we were all reaching for a magic app on our smartphones and tablets to check the weather, for road closures, and if or when school was opening back up (aka. the data).
So what do I think will be the post-PC world? I think it will have the following elements…
1. Hardware design changes will continue and morph into new products consumers want. Hardware will be designed on a spectrum of possible products and price points, not on one size fits all. As a consumer you will be able to get a platform you like, with the features you want.
2. Software and content driven. Apps, media and content will be available on all platforms. Browsers and operating systems (OS) will support multiple ways of accessing and viewing all types of information from my flight times to the latest Hollywood blockbuster without me worrying about file formats.
3. Connectivity in everything. We will want to have access everywhere with either Bluetooth, wifi or 3/4G connectivity without even thinking about it. Connections will be seamless and made without me having to reset my IP address.
2. Software and content driven. Apps, media and content will be available on all platforms. Browsers and operating systems (OS) will support multiple ways of accessing and viewing all types of information from my flight times to the latest Hollywood blockbuster without me worrying about file formats.
3. Connectivity in everything. We will want to have access everywhere with either Bluetooth, wifi or 3/4G connectivity without even thinking about it. Connections will be seamless and made without me having to reset my IP address.
Bottom line: I think we are in the post-PC era now. More tablets this year will be bought than laptops (who would have thought about that three years ago). Mobile devices like my smartphone are personal to me and they are now called my personal computer.
What's next? I want all of this to connect and work seamlessly with my ultra-connected life with future Internet of Things (IoT) technology. Now that's a wish, and it may be a few years away, but we should be looking to marry these worlds of data to enable us to have the same level of access, look and feel, and security in both worlds.
I don’t know about you, but I like this new world. Tell me what the future looks like where you are?
Ian Drew, Executive VP of Marketing and Business Development, ARM, joined ARM as vice president of Segment Marketing in July 2005 and was responsible for ARM’s worldwide segment marketing programs. In 2008, Ian was appointed as vice president of Marketing responsible for ARM’s corporate marketing strategy across the major markets such as mobile computing, mobile solutions and embedded. In 2009, he became EVP Marketing.
Before joining ARM, Ian worked at Intel Corp. for 14 years in various senior management roles around the world including Asia, Russia, Europe and the U.S. His last position was as GM of the Russia/CIS office in Moscow, responsible for all the sales and marketing activities in the region. Before his GM position in Moscow, he was running Intel’s telecom group in Asia.
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