What is the Future of Mobile Phones? Going Obsolete. Oh, TVs and PCs too.

Mobile phones… they have truly revolutionized everything we do. We all wait with anticipation for the next Apple or Samsung release. Investors throw millions at the next great app. And when you’re out in public, everyone is nose deep in their small screen.

Amidst the hype, I ran across a few tech articles asking an interesting question…

What is the future of mobile phones?

Interesting, I thought. I can answer that in a single sentence.

Mobile phones will be obsolete in the future.

Since I run a virtual reality site and business, I’m sure you can guess where this is headed. Yes, VR will in fact replace your current mobile device. It won’t replace mobile communication and computing. It will just change the form in which you use those functions.

And actually, while we’re at it… VR will also replace your television and your PC/tablet.

Shocked? Don’t believe me? Well, let’s explore this in a bit more detail.

Take a step back from your current uses of screen based technology. Pretend you were from the 19th century and time traveled to the current year. Obviously you’ve never used one of these devices before.

Wouldn’t you think it’s a bit weird that we stare at a box for hours every day? When you add up the time you spend on your PC at work, your phone, watching tv, etc… it adds up! Staring at a box!

Wouldn’t you also wonder why we deal with these space constraints? Sure, we have giant TVs. And if you go to the movie theater, it’s even bigger. But why is that the size limit? Our real world lacks these constraints. Wouldn’t it be better to have more space on your computer monitor? Wouldn’t entertainment be better if it came from more than just a small screen?

Wouldn’t you also find it odd how people contort their bodies to look at these screens? We sit all day and hurt our backs to see the computer. If you have bad eyesight, you probably have to lean forward or blow up the font. With phones, we are hunched over looking at these small devices all day. Our fingers and wrists swell up with carpal tunnel issues. It would be quite weird if we weren’t so used to these things.

Finally, wouldn’t you wonder why people communicate on a device? You can talk to people on the phone or in-person (as your 19th century self is accustomed to). Why devolve into inferior communication styles. Text based and entirely indirect half the time.

These behaviors are part of our society. Nobody really questions them. But they are ingrained in what we do. At least until technology improves a bit! Computers have only been mainstream for about 20 years and mobile phones much less than that. TVs have been around for a while but were cutting edge technology in its day.

But we can now do better technologically. Enter virtual reality!

Why will virtual reality make screens obsolete? It’s simple. It’s better in every way…

• You aren’t constrained by any space limitations. The VR universe is all around you and in 360 degrees.
• Objects in that universe are all 3-D. Our 2-dimensional websites and apps will look silly one day. The comparison would be black/white television or early video game graphics vs. what we have today.
• VR replicates real life. It gives you all the capabilities of digital but enhances them to be more realistic. You can program anything but interact with it like a real object or experience. You can simulate anything. You can communicate with people like you’re present in the same room.
• It’s much more comfortable. No more back aches and wrist issues.
• Creativity is substantially better. Imagine the story-telling capability. Hollywood creatives must be doing flips in excitement. You can immerse yourself in their story. Interact with their characters. Choose alternate story-lines. See action from all angles. It’s great. And it doesn’t stop with cinema. Learning can be this creative. Gaming can be. Social simulations can be. Creativity is going to be one of the biggest skills of the coming tech generation.

Now before I get ahead of myself, VR is not there TODAY. This is not a prediction for next week. Screens are still the best technology option for the next few years. But virtual reality will start making dents in certain niches over the next 5 years. And within 10 years, it will be better in a lot of these areas. Within 15, screens may go the way of the typewriter, VCR, and landline phone (all cutting edge technology in their own day by the way).

There is still much to solve. VR is only on its first release. But ALL of the top tech companies are investing big money on making VR the next great technology. They’re working on graphics, connectivity, processing power, headset comfort, tracking, content, presence, and much more. And they’ll solve it eventually. My guess is about 5 years before the common person sees virtual reality as an irresistible purchase.

It might seem inconceivable today. But PCs were once inconceivable. So was the internet. So were mobile phones. And then smartphones. But every technology comes and goes. It gets improved. And our current technology has many ways that it can improve. Virtual reality solves many of them. Which makes its prominence inevitable.

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