The speed of change in the computing world is astonishing. What was exceptional as few years ago is normal today and will be out of date in five years time. This article was written in 2005, just ten years since the launch of the first graphical user interface for the PC, yet computing has changed totally since then. How will computing change in the future?
Here are some suggestions:
Suggestion 1. [.....]
Mobile computing. Not only will be able to send pictures and watch video, which is already possible in many countries today, but your mobile phone might become your computer. All your data will be in your phone, and will connect to a keyboard and screen as soon as you sit beside them, so that you always have 'your' computer and settings with you.
Suggestion 2. [.....]
You might not even need a screen. Experimental replacements for screens include a laser that paints the picture directly on the back of your eye, and roll-up screens that you can fit into your pocket. Another alternative is a screen in a spray can, which sprays the pixels straight on to the nearest flat surface.
Suggestion 3. [.....]
You will never be just a face in a crowd. Modern databases are being linked together, so as soon as you walk into your local store, staff will know what have bought in earlier visits, even in branches on the other side of the country. Your medical records will be transmitted to any doctor who needs them, and advertising, even the advertising on your digital radio and TV will be aimed at the kind of things you are known to buy.
Suggestion 4. [.....]
Money will become more digital.Supermarkets are experimenting with labelling products so that as you leave the store the products tell the checkout what they are, your storecard tells the checkout who you are, and the money is taken from your bank account without you having to stop to queue at all. London underground users already have a card to pay for their journeys, and soon the same card will be used to buy newspapers and coffee. Expect this sort of thing to happen more and more often.
Suggestion 5. [.....]
The internet will be everywhere. Just as we expect to be able to use a mobile phone almost anywhere in the world, we will expect to turn on a digital device and to be connected immediately to the net. Because net phone calls are cheap or free, this will mean that we should be able to speak to anyone at any time. This may not always be a good thing, but this does not mean that it won't happen!
