The next digital era- On the verge of something new

AI Pin: A really interesting take on a new formfactor and how to interact with technology. It have a new placement — outside the pocket. The input is speech and the camera. The output is a projector which is a different route than both screen and augmented reality.

As someone deeply intrigued by technology and its impact on our lives, the last year within tech really like something is happening. Since OpenAI granted access to ChatGPT, there’s a palpable sense that our relationship with digital products is on the verge of a transformative shift. The recent introduction of products* has further challenged our existing interaction models. In this post, I’ll embark on a brief historical journey through the evolution of hardware and software from personal experiences. Then we will take a look at current trends and conclude with speculative thoughts on potential directions for human-computer interaction (HCI).

*Apple vision Pro, AI pin, Rabbit R1, Meta Rayban

Floppy disc. My earliest memories of interacting with a computer is selecting the floppy disc in our floppy disk holder. (I also remember playing too much with the metal and breaking my favourite game) Photo by Onur Buz on Unsplash

From Floppy discs to Fingertips
The dynamics between humans and computers have undergone radical changes. While I wasn’t present during the era of hole cards. I have clear memories include inserting the floppy disk into our first computer and getting my first smartphone HTC Desire and suddenly having the internet in my pocket.

The relationship with my smartphone is more complicated than with any computer I’ve owned. Both devices empower me, yet the smartphone comes with a attention cost which I don’t experience in the same way when using my computer.

HTC Desire — My first smartphone. I remember how much it change travelling. Over few years everything just changed in how you had to prepare and plan for travel.

Digital devices have transitioned from huge machines intended companies to personal computers on sitting on a desk. Then they went from out desk as they became Laptops. Suddenly we could bring them around.

Now, smartphones reside in our pockets, accompanying us everywhere. Smartwatches take this proximity a step further by strapping directly onto us, hinting at the potential for integrated devices and even biological fusion in the future.

Illustration from my Bachelor project in 2016 about how Digital devices can be physical extensions. ( source pending)

Devices have drawn closer due to increased affordability, portability, and universal internet access. Another noteworthy change is the evolution of interaction methods, progressing from hole cards to keyboards, graphical user interfaces (GUI), and touchscreens on smartphones, enabling direct interaction with pixels.

Current Situation

For an extended period, it havefelt like we were at a technological standstill (a bit harsh. But it have been incremental iterations on the same concepts). Smartphones have maintained their form since the the first iPhone. Laptops and desktops is basically the same as they always have been. While innovations like folding smartphones and screenless voice-based interactions challenged the status quo, overall, digital devices seemed to offer incremental updates to the familiar.

Oculus Quest — I did my thesis about VR and have spent a fair amount of time in VR. And own a speaker I can talk too. But my main digital interaction is tapping on flat surfaces with a finger or a mouse.

Acknowledging outliers like Oculus Quest, HoloLens, and Google Glasses that challenged form factors and interactions, it’s crucial to note their limited mainstream adoption.

Rayban Meta — I find the ‘glasses’ to be a very intersting formfactor for ou digital interactions. It is a lot more familiar than the headset, but it is still directly in my face and forces me to rely on voice.

Trends

Recent developments signal a potential departure from the technological plateau. Facebook’s transition to Meta and their vision for a metaverse, coupled with major companies intensifying AI investments, hints at a paradigm shift. On the hardware front, Apple and Meta have launched wearables for the head, suggesting a movement toward more spatial digital experiences — be it fully digital, mixed, or augmented.

Simultaneously, AI proliferation introduces hardware innovations like the UIPen and Rabbit R1, challenging traditional form factors.

Rabbit R1 — Aside from the fac you now have to carry 2 square devices around I love the concept. First off it just looks amazing. Secondly it offers a different route than AI Pin and the head-wearables. It sits familiar in our pockets and looks familiar. But the interesting is that is not app centered. So it feels like a more utility oriented device and less attention sucking. (Still not a fan of voice controlled interactions )

Will we be freed from 2D screens and may AI free us interaction paradime of tapping and touching? Might the future bring something more human than sitting and interaction with plastic or glass while staring a pixels?

Will tech allow other parts than our eyes and hands to play a part in how we interact with our devices in the future. Voice & hearing have become more normal with things like smartspeakers. How might spatial interactions shape our digital work? Can you dance a excel sheet?

What Might Come

Apple Vision Pro — With the dial we allready see how some experiences benefits from being fully digital while other we would want to allow the digitital and physcial to blend.

Physical-Digital Mix
Our physical realm may finally receive the long-promised digital overlay from science fiction. The challenge lies in determining when to transition from 2D applications to mixed reality or activate a fully digital VR experience, and whether these experiences will be delivered through one or multiple devices.

My old samsung s8 could use dex to power a traditional pc experience. Will my smartglasses be able to provide something similiar? Will I be carrying around a pocket cpu? a keyboard? a external touchscreen for writing? What device might be the center of of our digital devices in the future and what companion devices will we have?

A Shift in Digital Hierarchy: Emerging digital devices may reshape the hierarchy of primary devices and companion accessories. If smart glasses can display a 27" monitor, could they challenge laptops more than phones? Will smart glasses become the central hub of our digital devices or remain paired with smartphones?

AI Enables New Experiences
Beyond conversational AI, there are exciting possibilities, like snapping a picture of an appliance for an instant manual or converting an analog to-do list into a digital format. Asking for stuff instead of tapping and a more fluent experience between Digital and physical.

New Form Factors of Digital Companions:
Will AI and spatial computing propel us beyond square glass devices? Will smart glasses become normalised, and could transparent displays find their place in AR devices?

Money:
How will Digital economy in an AI-dominated landscape look like? The attention economy and looking at ads will be challenge if we all just interact with our own AI agents.

Feel free to share your thoughts on this potential trajectory. Are we on the cusp of significant change, or are we merely awaiting slightly thinner smartphones in the next five years?

Will there be more eye-to-eye contact with headsets and smart glasses when we don’t have to look down at our phones?