Hidden Impacts
Whenever we see a new tech enter the zeitgeist, it’s likely that the true impact is hidden away and will occur downstream. The iPhone was a game changer but it was the apps that it enabled that caused a huge leap forward in many different areas of technology.
To see where the technology can go, we break down the popular app, hardware, or service into its components. In the iPhone example, it was:
- WiFi and cellular connectivity
- Location information
- Sensor information (speed, acceleration, orientation)
- Cameras
- Microphone
- Speaker
One could map out the many applications that could come from having these components.
As another For Uber, we might see:
- Driver pool
- User pool
- Payment transfer
- Status tracking
- Onboarding service
With just these components, we can see how one can build applications around running tasks, picking up food, performing other deliveries could work. If Uber teamed up with the likes of Shopify, it might be able to build logistics around same day delivery.
By reducing a popular service to components, we can eke out the hidden impacts.
