Tomorrow’s Smartphone Ecosystem

Once the desktop took over the world. Then the corporate world replaced it with the laptop. The tab gave stiff competition to both. But if there’s one thing that seems to be having an unlimited march over everyone’s life, then it’s still the mobile.

While at first it was used to make selected calls and receive messages, it soon rendered the landline, pager, pocket diary and wristwatch obsolete.

Personal Buddy: In the social media era you simply had to pick your poison: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube etc. Very soon you had no time to see all of this on your desktop or laptop, but the smartphone was the first (and sometimes only) choice. Then came apps that were mobile only like WhatsApp and TikTok.

Buying companion: Ecommerce took off big time and is also graduating on to the smartphone, so much so that many shopping sites now have mobile only apps or were born on the mobile. Cheap broadband, GPS and better functioning smartphones means that the mobile is enough for all your buying needs.

Government proxy: If that wasn’t bad enough then the government got onto the bandwagon. Now Aadhaar and all your identification can be done on the phone. Aarogya Setu and CoWIN came in short time. Paytm gave way to UPI. Social life. Shopping life. Government life. It’s all smartphone life now.

Boarding passes on the mobile seem ancient by now as both the government and tech giants can keep track of you along with all your key habits thanks to the mobile. The consumer couldn’t care less. The benefits of giving up your privacy are simply too monumental.

Smartphone ecosystem: Going into the future, the smartphone is here to stay, and everything is being built around it. Wireless earbuds are catching on and the smartwatch which can do everything a watch could do and even check your heartbeat and oxygen saturation level: It is being built solely around the smartphone.

While Google Glass went away due to privacy issues, a whole range of AR glasses are being developed which too will be connected to your smartphone. While the Metaverse has failed to take off on your desktop/laptop, chances are that it will succeed with the AR glass connected smartphone.

This is the first stage of singularity where we merge with the machine. The smartphone may not be physically connected to you yet, but it is already spiritually and emotionally one with you. Will a day come when the SIM card will be embedded in your body and every gadget around be connected? One card to rule them all? Possible!