Business trend
The race to discover, invent and develop new ways for us to make the most of the current technology boom
business trend
BRAVE NEW WORLD
BIGGER IS NO LONGER BETTER IN THE EYES OF THE CONSUMER, AND WHEN IT COMES TO THE MOST LUCRATIVE NEW MARKETS, MULTI-TASKING TECHNOLOGY IS THE FUTURE
words: steve greenhalgh
THERE WAS A TIME, just a few short years ago, when technology’s main role was to create new, single-use products. The mobile phone, the games console and home computers were all stand-alone items. The idea that they might all come together in a single device was as ludicrous as the suggestion that a mobile phone might someday fi t in your purse or pocket.
That was last millennium, when being cool meant being bent double under the weight of the latest gadgets and gizmos: videos, 35mm cameras and phones with battery packs the size of a baby’s cot. Clumsy and heavy certainly – but it made sense. There was one product for every type of use.
Not any more. The buzzword now is ‘convergence’ – compressing as many functions into one device as possible and at the same time opening up endless possibilities for creating new lucrative markets for companies who are smart (and fl eet-footed) enough to spot trends. And, if they are very lucky, win the race to commercialise them. Think iPod.
As companies increasingly compete for the diminishing attention spans of consumers, so the pace of technological change has shifted up a gear, creating opportunities for a new generation of companies to invent and develop ways for us to interact with and enjoy this technology boom.
These are companies for whom innovation is an everyday activity, where technology is moulded and crafted into exciting, new products.
And they move fast – much faster than many in-house research and development departments. They have to because, in many instances, they are the people who can see over the horizon. They create multi-disciplinary teams – software, electronic, mechanical and industrial designers. Some even employ social scientists, sociologists and anthropologists to help them understand and predict market movements and consumer trends.
These companies understand and control technology. For them, the word ‘risk’ doesn’t carry with it connotations of danger and failure. Instead it equates to business opportunity. They know what products and services will be coming to a home or offi ce near you very soon.
One such company is Cambridge Design Partnership (CDP), a product and technology development company whose single function is to create ‘next generation’ products and services for clients across a spread of industries. Within an hour of meeting people in such environments, you’ll see the possibilities that convergence can create.
“But,” says Matt Schumann, a CDP director, “between the idea and the fi nished product there are many blind alleys. Never give up. Success is born from tenacity. If you don’t get the right result, go back into the problem and rework the solution.”
According to Schumann, the technology already exists in other applications for many ‘near future’ business and personal product developments (convergence again). These include:
MOBILE PHONES
A mobile that automatically translates if you call abroad.
Text alerts if your credit card is not on your person and being used.
A mobile that only reacts to your voice, so no-one else can use it
IN THE OFFICE
Any computer in the world instantly configures to become your office computer, with all your files at your fingertips.
A PDA (personal digital assistant) that has electronic pages like a book, so you can read documents without scrolling.
Video conferencing that’s always on, enabling virtual workgroups around the world.
AT HOME
Your own personal ‘NetCop’, who will trawl the internet and report back on sites that hold your personal information.
Wearable electronics and sensors that call your doctor if you are unwell.
A house that reacts to your presence in a room and personalises the environment.
AND EVEN…
A virtual ‘you’ who would do presentations on your behalf. Think Star Wars or I, Robot.
Smart luggage that has a display screen which shows you the weight of the contents before you get to the airport and texts you when it is on the baggage carousel.
A mobile phone and satellite navigation system that integrates with local public transport schedules, pays for your tickets and guides you from the airport to your destination.
www.cambridge-design.co.uk
