What’s the next frontier in the connected world?
Thanks to the billions of broadband-enabled devices that have cropped up in recent years, in many ways the world today is more plugged in and connected than ever before. But the high level of interest and investment in the technology industry at the moment shows that many folks out there still believe there is lots of growth yet to be realized.
The question now is: Where, exactly, will the new developments be? Where is there still big potential to add connectivity that can make our lives better? I pulled aside a few tech industry leaders who spoke at the GigaOM RoadMap 2011 conference just before they each took the stage last week to find out. As you’ll see in the videos embedded below, they each had definite opinions on the subject.
- Tom Conrad, the CTO and executive vice president of product for music streaming pioneer Pandora Media, says that his company is working on making its technology available everywhere there are people, from cars to refrigerators:
- Matt MacInnis, the founder and CEO of iPad textbook company Inkling, thinks that individual students should be more connected while they’re studying. Essentially, the end of the “bookworm” reputation could be nigh:
- Things started to get really interesting with Frank Moss, the tech industry veteran who led Tivoli Systems through its IPO and subsequent merger with IBM in the mid-1990s, and more recently worked as the director of the MIT Media Lab from 2006 to 2011. According to Moss, the next frontier for connectivity lies within our own bodies — right down to the cellular level:
- Salim Ismail, the global ambassador and founding executive director for Singularity University, also believes that the realm of connected devices should expand to inside our own bodies. He took it one step further than Moss, though: Eventually, he said, technology will be used to measure things like luck, consciousness and self-awareness. It’s fair to say my mind was a bit blown by this one:
What do you think? Are there still untapped opportunities for connectivity, or have we as a society hit the saturation point for plugging in? If you have any insights, please weigh in using the comments.
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two distinct and synergistic connectivity waves are approaching… 1) apps, begetting a new platform shell, followed by an emergent OS that directly measures, reflects/mirrors and positively affects our personal evolution and clarity of “Self” and in parallel to this; 2) connectivity in the form of real-time Hu-synchronicities emerging between us and providing fuller and deeper relationship (to people and info) synergy and interdependent to this #1 process of living more authentically and as founded on a progressively clearer and innate gift-driven Self. I see this becoming a pervasive social reality (more psycho-social by then) and occurring as such in the next 2-3 human generations. I’ve been waiting since 1986 for its potential to surface… and it is just now surfacing – indications are now proliferative… imho ;-).
Wow, thanks for the insightful comment, JBrian — very interesting stuff.
“plugging in” with technology is a simulacrum of simply being aware
“connectivity” is a simulacrum of the seamlessness of nature
the future? im-mediate, removing the media …
The internalization and globalization of the Web and Web-based services. We have sooooooo far to go.
Great title and concept for a discussion… post left me wanting more… bummer!!
Seamless connectivity to devices in the home, car, and service entities such as retailers, restaurants, and local service providers. Expect the smartphone to be the “hub”, with little to no effort being required by smartphone users.
My $.02.
Best,
Curtis