The Christmas before the storm

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Computer already is the ultimate convergent device

I really don't know where these guys come up with their market studies. Maybe I am in the wrong business. I, like an ever growing part of the population, already have the ultimate convergent device. It is called a computer. Any computer made in the last 10 years does everything that any other peice of consumer electronics does. It plays CDs and DVDs, often with an easier interface than function-specific devices. It lets me perform real-time messaging, email, voice chat, video chat. It lets me play games. If there is something that I want to do, my computer can do it with the right hardware.

Indeed, the flow of "innovation" is starting to go *backwards*. Up until recently, the computer was rushing to do all of the things that other devices did. Now, other devices are scrambling to do what the computer does. VoIP, email, web access, instant messaging, video, music, all of these thigns are being rushed out to market in the form of a function-specific device. An iPod is simply a device specifically designed to play music (and now video) files. My computer has been able to do this for a decade, but the iPod suceeds because it discards all of the unwanted functions of a computer, allowing it to shrink its hardware needs to the bare minimum.

The hardware is always the problem. As a device becomes more general purpose, the hardware and power needs increase. As you continue down the path of convergence, you end up reinventing the wheel and creating.. tada! A computer.

The devices I see ruling the day in the future are those itty-bitty computers. They are now getting cell phone capabilities, have WiFi, Bluetooth, all of the wireless built in. Some even have Ethernet ports. They have a USB port or two, and even a VGA out, so you can dock them at a workstation. The price point is horrible, and more importantly, they either use Windows XP Embedded, or shoehorn a full version of Windows XP onto themselves. The interface simply is not well designed for a product of that size, and the battery life is horrible. The interface needs to be adaptive so that it functions as a single-purpose device at certain times, and as a general-computing platform at other times. No one wants to attempt to use a word processor on a cell-phone-like interface, and no one wants to try making a phone call from a desktop-OS-like interface.

In the future, I think we will all be carrying one of these devices, it will do everything our desktops do, it may even replace our desktops. It just needs a few more years to get the price right, the battery life longer, and the interface to be easily usable.

J.Ja

Posted by: Justin James   Posted on: 12/13/05 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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