A love/hate story by Google and Apple
Whats trending now:
In the near future consumers will be using their smart-devices very differently. The rise of the contextual-information software like Google’s Now and Apple’s Proactive will result in consumers using these devices to complete tasks without even directly accessing apps, as a result of more context-aware communication between software and hardware on devices, acting as intelligent digital ‘assistants.’
This goes back to 2011, where at the debut of the iPhone 4S came the announcement of a much-rumoured ‘digital assistant’ like technology, known to us today as Siri. The function was seen to be a simple but fun novelty, where simple tasks like calendar entries and reminders could be created, and even today has yet to offer any true value to the consumer. Until now.
These digital assistants will finally see the arrival of more intelligent devices and services working seamlessly together, where the operating system will be able to deep-link to third-party API’s, and ultimately the time that consumers spend using native apps will decrease significantly. As both Apple and Google are both in the midst of a war to kill the app first, one stops to wonder the effect all this will have at a consumer level.
Why it’s important:
Ultimately this will have a significant effect on how we use such devices in the future, including what software will be developed as well as how we will eventually interact with content delivered to us.
Analysts are stating this to be the arrival of the ‘post-app era’, one which will see the bubble of the app economy set to pop in a few short years. The danger for developers is thus how to create and market new apps in such a burgeoning marketplace, where mobile experiences are going to be more related to convenience and results than ever before, and how to give a truly unique offering through software.
The entire mobile experience is expected to become far more homogenous and frictionless, as there will be almost seamless and frequent communication between software with hardware. As if echoing Spike Jonze’s idealised concepts depicted in the film ‘Her’, the devices will be so intelligent that one could argue at what level the emergence of artificial intelligence is more fiction than reality.
What’s the butterfly effect:
In the long term, both Apple and Google are crafting their individual ecosystems that they offer to their consumers as brands, through both products and services. The platform war currently being fought in the hands of billions will evolve into some thing far greater as these ecosystems grow, and the expected outcome is that almost every technological point of contact will in one way or another be influenced by these firms. Both have the capital, in its vast and envied quantities, and the branding platforms to build these ecosystems on a monopolistic scale where hardware, services and content work seamlessly together provided all by one or the other as a sort of package.
What began as a humble search engine could become the central hub of almost every single technological contact point in your day to day life: from the smart-home to the smart-phone, and every other contact point in-between, with all services delivered exclusively by Google.
The Pioneers:
Apple ultimately creates services around its products, where as Google create products around its services. Which model will ultimately win?
By: Jordan Major
Image credit: Wallpaper Wide HD
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About Jordan
Travel, in all its varied forms, is a concept that inspires and drives the ambitions of Jordan Major. From backpacking around Europe to exploring new professional territories his journey is one that knows no bounds. Having written for the likes of GQ and Between 10 and 5 this young creative sees this new chapter with Flux Trends as a way to speak to the present about the future in a meaningful way.
