Towards Better Times!

Inflection points are often reconstructed in hindsight. The last such transformational period was in the early to mid-1980's, when computer technology moved from mini-computers to personal computers. With every improvement in software, the need for more processing power in the PC and an increasing CPU capability drove the creation of exciting new software applications.

This played out over the next decade, until the next great leap forward happened with mobility and connectivity driving change with WiFi-enabled laptops defining that period. In 2006, consumers bought more laptops than enterprises for the first time and have since then become the first adopters and drivers of new technology.

By some estimates PC technology touches the lives of 2 billion people on the planet today. While that is a significant achievement, it's still less than a third of humanity. However, a larger number have been touched by technology thanks to the cellular phone, and the rapid expansion of the global network coupled with availability of affordable devices and services.

A quiet revolution is underway in the overall computing industry that is likely to dwarf the access to information begot by PCs over the last 25 years. The consumer today has two defining tastes in his palate; the need for mobility and connectivity forever etched by the cellular experience and the craving for performance and multi-processing capability fed by years of PC experience. This transformation is anchored by device, platform and service innovation like we have not seen before. The first wave of this new transformation, the next inflection point, has been led by the SmartPhone. However, several new form factors have been introduced in the last few years, some of them such as the NetBook and tablet have gained significant market acceptance. This, however, is just a beginning.

A significant new view has developed over the last year that most consumers will have a set of “must-have” devices and another set of “companion” devices. The need for a highly mobile, very versatile “SmartPhone” and high performance, very desirable “PC” seems to fall in the “must-have” bucket. Each individual user is likely to make personal choices on what fits their lifestyle and needs in the first category.

With the second category of “companion” devices the user is likely to be spoilt for choice and will thus be fickle. These will span a gamut of purpose build devices (e-reader, transformers, sliders, tablets, gamers, entertainers etc.) that will be defined less by the form of the device but the function they fulfill. Early example of that includes Amazon's Kindle Fire that's built completely around its service while it provides other functionality or India's Aakash that promises to bring digital education content to all, again built around the service.