Five years ago yesterday, Steve Jobs famously revealed the iPhone. Through creating the iPhone and subsequently the iOS platform, Apple fuelled a movement of not only how we would come to use our mobile devices in the future, but also change what we would use them for. The rest, as they say, is history.
The way we download content has seen a huge paradigm shift thanks to the simplicity of the App Store, Android Marketplace and other mobile commerce platforms. Software, newspapers, magazine subscriptions the lot, can now be downloaded from a handheld device within seconds. Dissemination is now not only fast, but mobile; though the fact of not being able to return anything still gripes me.
iOS devices are notoriously being blamed for the slow (but expected) death of Kodak, which is extremely unfair. Kodak’s inability to innovate products that harbour a twenty-first century audience is the reason they are heading proverbially six feet under. Kodak failed to innovate and as a consequence, saw its market-share plunder. Many analysts now are speculating to the prospect of the iPhone cannibalising the entire point and click market.
With these thoughts in mind it is surely only a matter of time until the everyday home is impacted by the mobile phone. What will our homes look like by the end of 2012? What will we be doing with our mobiles this time next year that isn’t currently possible?
Here is my list of quite far-fetched but quite possible predictions for what might disappear from the home in 2012:
The Remote Control
To me this one makes perfect sense. As the practice of watching TV online through desktops machines, handheld devices and consoles becomes ever more ubiquitous, the place of the remote control in the home has never felt more awkward and archaic.
The promise of increased digital convergence through our devices in the home also has a number of ecological benefits.
The Watch
If you were to ask the average Joe/Joanne, 18-30 years of age in the street for the time there is a high chance of them referring to their mobile phone and why not? They’ll be likely to have it in their hands anyway!
I’m a huge fan of the watch accessory and I take great pride in building up my Casio collection but I can understand that for many, a watch is just an inconvenience. Why have a watch when you could have a thousand bangles and trinkets?
The Desk
As people continue to shell out for small Internet-related things like tablets and laptops, people are turning their back on their dear old friend; the desktop. Despite the advantages of a desktop over a laptop obvious to the power user, the average consumer is understandably blind to them.
With people appearing to be more intent and content in buying a case for their beloved devices, the corner desk is arguably something already of the past. People now use the Internet while sat on a sofa, bus or in the bath.
The Newspaper
If we don’t catch first wind of news and gossip through the likes of Facebook and Twitter we are discovering news through RSS feeds and news blogs.
The dreaded Sunday morning walk to the shop to pick up the morning paper before Match of the Day (MOTD) starts is now a thing of the past for many. People can Sky+ MOTD and subscribe to newspaper and magazines through their mobile devices allowing them to read the stories in their own time, while feeling involved by having the ability to comment and engage with other readers.
By the looks of it, our homes are to become an environment of considerable change in 2012. Can you think of any more everyday home items that we might see the end of this year? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter: @StevenGradidge
