Ever since personal computing became a reality in the 20th century, we have seen one of the biggest industries being built around it which has completely revolutionized human life by providing us with such powerful tools that our lives have changed a number of times over.
Can you imagine human life without computers? In fact it was Steve Jobs, who once said that “computers are like a bicycle for the mind” meaning that it is a tool that allows us to do far more than what we could have done otherwise.
Ever since computers were introduced in the home or in the office or virtually any other place, the world has suddenly transformed into this digital playground of possibilities.
In the 21st century, computing devices have gotten really powerful and have taken a lot of different form factors and this is one of the areas that I am very interested in and so I would like to talk more about it.
So, what started out as computers that were the size of buildings, has come down to a device that can fit into the palm of our hands, all being millions of times more powerful. Such is the pace of technology in this space.
Personal computers that used to be purely desktops, evolved into laptops and that gave more freedom and power to people. Then came the smartphone and it completely blew everyone away. Then came something in the middle of those two, which we all know as tablets. If you want to stretch it, you could call phablets as a category too.
Now, other categories like smart watches and other smart wearables are beginning to go mainstream too. So, you can see that the average person has a lot of devices these days for different aspects of their computing needs.
The other day, I was wondering if there could be one device, preferably a smartphone type form factor, that could serve as a replacement for all other devices and I think it very well might be.
Wouldn’t it be so awesome (and convenient) if one single device could serve as a laptop, smartphone and tablet? That would not only save money for the consumers but also space and resources (so it would be good for the environment as well).
Right now we use these different devices because they all provide some unique benefits. A laptop for example is much more powerful than the others. A smartphone provides greater portability along with varied use cases. A tablet allows for a bigger screen and marries the best of both worlds.
But the differences between all these form factors are quickly becoming more and more blurred as computing speeds in mobile processors is quickly catching up to laptops along with improvements in all the other areas as well. The latest from Apple and Samsung are proof of that.
So, in my own personal opinion, it will come down to the screen. If we can make a screen that can be stretched to become larger, or folded, to take on a more compact form factor, I think, we could make a single device to rule them all.
If concepts and patents are any indication, tech companies seem to have already realized this and that day may not be far away when one of those companies launches that perfect device that we have all been waiting for.
