Visions of the Future

As we enjoy the headlines coming out of CES in San Francisco:

• Android device sales 'to top one billion' in 2014
• Google Glass-controlled treadmill debuts at CES 2014
• Samsung unveils new Galaxy NotePro and TabPro tablets
• Samsung shows off its Bendable TV
• Michael Bay walks out of CES after fluffing Samsung TV presentation
• LG shows off first smart TVs running webOS
• Sony shows off life logging app and kit
•  Laptops to get Intel 3D depth sensing cameras
• Wearable fitness technology fun run
• Controlling home devices with smartphones

I thought I’d take time out to share a few of my favourite visions of the future.

Most are based upon technology developments, and in the very near future we will see many new mobile, wearable services emerging.

These are best illustrated by two videos from Corning Glass and 3M.

Corning Glass makes the glass that covers your smartphone with customers including Samsung, Dell, Sony and LG. No wonder that their vision of the future involves a lot of glass.

3M take the glass concept further and move the glass into bendable, wearable technologies:

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Nevertheless, the glass idea is when yhou’re using objects and devices around the home and office.  What about when you’re out walking?

As I’ve said many times, the future is not one where you’ll have a mobile phone as these neanderthal devices that are big and clunky will eventually merge and morph into your clothing and fashion.

That’s exactly what Microsoft, Nokia and others are pushing, and illustrate that the future is one where you don’t necessarily need the glass but just use light and kinetic technologies:

Microsoft makes lots of videos with future visions of which this is probably my favourite of recent times:

As we look further out, there are many views of how the future may shake out, but here are a final two that I think worthy of your time.

First, the future car form Toyota.

Second, 2050.  36 years from now.  What will the world look like?  DHL (Deutsche Post) think they know:

Finally, we do need to bear in mind that much of this is a smoke and mirror concepts.  These visions are adverts meant to grab your attention.  If you want a more informed view of the future of technology, then spend an hour watching the BBC’s future technology vision with the ever insightful Michio Kaku:

All in all, it is obvious that as the internet moves everywear, we are delighted by the technology vision.  Our delight is probably the same as the Victorians had with the emergence of the telephone and electricity.  We believe we are living through a revolution – and we are – and that revolution will decimate industries just as the telephone and electricity did 150 years before.

Wells Fargo was listening 150 years ago and got out of the Pony Express business to become a bank.

Do Wells Fargo need to get out of the banking business to become a glass manufacturer?

Probably not, but the future visions all show a world of wearable, glass-based technologies, with no payment action needed.  Therefore, Wells Fargo should definitely focus upon taking the friction out of commerce by integrating the financial processes into the apps that run on wearable glass and most banks are doing just that today as the mobile revolution continues.

Rock on the virtual stagecoach.

“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”

Arthur C Clarke (1917-2008)