The Next Big Thing After Smartphones

For over a 10-year period, smartphones have run the world. We use them for cameras, wallets, diaries, maps, entertainment, and also as a connection to our loved ones. As did every great innovation before them, though, their time at the top may be coming to an end. Just as the desktop computer fell to the laptop and the smartphone took over from the feature phone, we see a new player waiting in the wings to take the smartphone out as our main digital assistant. When will it be?

The End of the Smartphone Era?

Smartphones have reached a stage of maturity in which they are no longer marked by revolutionary changes but rather by what I would term improvements which are very much incremental. Each year we see faster processors, better cameras, and brighter screens, yet in terms of the overall experience, it is the same. We still tap, swipe, scroll, and type as we did a decade ago. That which used to excite us about each new release has died down because the changes which we see now do not really break new ground.

This plateau in innovation marks the possibly terminal stage of the smartphone era. Though these devices will not die out suddenly, we are seeing the rise of a new type of tech which puts forward more natural, immersive, and seamless interaction.

Beyond the Screen

What is present-day state of smart phones in terms of what they are limited by? The screen is by far the biggest issue. Although very useful, smartphones put our focus on a glowing rectangle. They pull us away from the real world into a virtual one which constantly demands our attention via constant notifications and apps. What we will see in the future are devices which connect us but do away with the need to look at a screen.

That is what we see in wearable and immersive technologies which put forward the idea of a merge between the digital and physical world, and we see them to present info in more human and intuitive ways.

Smart Glasses: The Return of the Prodigal Vision.

Smart devices which include the smart glasses are at the fore front to take over smartphones. We see a future where instead of using a held-out device, you wear a pair of light-weight glasses which project digital info right into your field of view. You will see directions as you walk, messages without having to look down at your phone, or, while you are traveling, foreign signs which will be translated in real time.

Unlike which the virtual reality headsets do, which totally immerse you in a different world, smart glasses use of augmented reality, which is layering digital info over the real world. For a while, companies have been playing with this idea, which has now come a lot closer to commercial realization thanks to advances in the area of miniaturization, display tech, and connectivity.

Smart glasses will in the future take over for your phone by connecting via wireless to a small pocket device or even the cloud. You would use them to talk, which would include natural gestures and also via subtle eye movements for control. They won’t just be a tool which you use; they’ll become a part of your everyday life.

Voice and Gesture Interfaces

The next step past smartphones is that which we see as much in terms of new hardware as in how we interact with tech. Touch screens made devices very personal, but still out of our physical interaction. In the future, we may see more of a role for input via voice, gesture, or even eye movement.

Picture this: you walk into your home and out comes, “I’ll turn those lights on for you,” or you wave your hand to take a call which appears in your glasses’ display. We’ll see these as more of a natural extension of human action rather than interaction with a machine.

We see this transition play out before us. Smart speakers and wearable wrist bands are going in to wide use, and at the same time, people are adopting them into their daily routines. In the future, tech will fade into the background, integrated into the environment and controlled by what we do naturally instead of through screens and buttons.

The Rise of Wearable Ecosystems

If we think of smart glasses as the eyes of the future, then wearables may be the rest of the body. We see smartwatches, rings, earbuds, and clothing with sensors in to which has been put a great deal of innovation. These devices also talk to each other, and in doing so, they create a personal network which travels with you at all times.

For example, your watch may track your activity, which in turn reports to your glasses; at the same time, your earbuds may give out audio alerts or translate in real time. We would see this all play out in perfect harmony, to create a system that revolves around you as the user instead of a single device.

In some worlds, you may not own a smartphone at all, which brings forward the idea of wearables connecting to a shared digital hub that may be a small processor in your pocket, in your car, or even in your clothes.

Mixed Reality: Melding Cultures.

In the age of post-smartphone, we see the rise of mixed reality (MR), which goes beyond what AR has to offer by way of digital objects interacting with the physical world in very real ways. Think of yourself at home at your table, and out of thin air appears a 3D hologram of your friend. You can talk, play games, or work on a project as if you were side by side.

Companies are putting out large sums for headsets and devices which present these types of experiences. Though the early models may be large in size or price, history tells us that technology tends to get smaller and more affordable over time, as early mobile phones did.

In time, mixed reality will out do the flat smartphone screen for which we have grown used to; it will present us with much more in-your-face and life-like experiences.

Brain-Computer Interfaces: The Complete Bond.

Looking to the future, we may report that we have developed devices for direct connection to the brain which will interface with thought. Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are in development to decode brain signals into commands. What may today’s public consider as science fiction is in fact what researchers are at present achieving, which is that people are made to control computers, prosthetic limbs, or robots using only their thoughts.

If we perfect this technology, it may in fact change what we think of as communication. We won’t have to type or talk; just thinking of a message will send it. This will be the last step in making tech as natural and easy to use as possible.

Everyday Life in a Post-Smartphone World

In the morning, how will the world present itself after the age of smartphones? You awaken to not your phone but your smart glasses, which display the day’s agenda. In the kitchen, an alarm clock that talks reports the weather as you eat. Out the door, go navigation symbols which appear on the road before you, no screens required.

In the office, your desktop is a hub of digital notes, charts, and 3D models which seem to float in mid-air. You work with colleagues from other cities as if they are right next to you. At home, you watch a movie which fills your entire living room — no TV or phone needed.

The Human Side of the Future

Technology is not going to take that giant step forward for the sake of convenience alone. We are at a point where we are seeking a return to balance. We are connected like never before thanks to our smartphones, which also have a tendency to distract us and have us stuck to our screens for too many hours. What we may see from the next wave of tech is a reversal of that, which puts us in a position to stay in the know and connected, and at the same time be more present in the real world.

Conclusion

The next big trend post-smartphones will be a shift in which we live, work, and interact with our world. We will see smart glasses, wearable tech, mixed reality, and even what may be direct brain interfaces as we move towards a future where technology plays a very integral role in our day-to-day lives.

Instead of being tied to a screen, we will have tech that is an extension of us, which is present and powerful yet backgrounded.

Smartphones transformed the way we communicate. What is to come will change how we live in the digital world. Once that time arrives, we will look back at the present age of hand-held phones and see it for what it was: the start of a larger-scale shift.