“1999 A.D.” from the 1960s, and now
People like to imagine what the future will look like. Science fiction is one of the biggest markets in literature, movies, and so on. They describe what it will be like in the future directly or indirectly. “1999 A.D.”, a video from the 1960s, is also one of those kinds. Watching this video is interesting since a lot of what they said came true with the fact that now we are living in 2016. I want to check what came true and what didn’t from the movie. I also think it could be meaningful to get lessons while checking those facts.
1. What came true
- Home monitoring system
In the movie, the mother can monitor her child anytime through television. This product might have been surprising at that time but people are starting to use it in their daily lives. Below are the Canary monitors, which records all the time and users can check its live or recorded video with their smartphones.
- Health monitoring and workout recommendation
The way people use this is different, but Fitbits or Apple Watches provide these features. It constantly checks heart rate and functions as a pedometer. The product in the movie only checks your health when you lie down in bed, but those wearables I mentioned provide information anywhere at anytime. So in that sense, we are living with and even better product compared to the product in the movie.
- Video conference call
This is not new anymore. We use Hangout or Skype to talk to people face to face virtually.
2. What did not come true
- Automated cooking system
This video shows an automated cooking system that automatically recommends and makes personalized food by clicking your finger on the computer. It didn’t happen in the real world. And I question if this will be popularized to many people since it is so difficult to provide the best and personalized taste for each person.
- Cleaning Closet
In 2010, similar product called Tromm styler from LG was launched. This is not washing clothes. It is for removing smell and ironing clothes by steam. Tromm styler wasn’t successful in the market because of its limited features with expensive price(more than $1,000) and huge size. I believe it was not worth replacing the iron in terms of size and price.
3. Thoughts
When suggesting a whole new product about the future, one thing we should consider is that whether people really need it or not. For example, automated cooking systems can seem like very ideal products since people are getting busy and don’t have time to cook. However, there are many aspects of cooking that are overlooked. I believe just the convenience the product provides cannot replace the behavior of people’s cooking. There are already many frozen and instant foods you can buy at Walmart or Trader Joe’s that gives convenience to people. But people don’t only eat this since it doesn’t provide liveliness. In addition to that, when cooking, it makes a strong bond between cook and friends or family who eat food the cook makes. At this point, the eater doesn’t expect standardized frozen food. They expect the taste they will feel which cannot be made by machine. And there is human interaction between people.
Couple of years ago, I saw a movie “Jiro dreams of Sushi”. In the Jiro’s sushi bar, Jiro sees the customer and recommends and makes sushi that only exists for the person. What a special moment for the person it is! And the movie showed how the customer was happy and surprised with joy when he had this unique experience.
I believe, in cooking experiences, slowness is still a big consideration in terms of preparing, cooking, eating together, and talking about the food. All these processes give happiness to people and I don’t think this will go away. So, in terms of cooking and eating experiences, future products should be considered for people’s wants. Instead of removing the cooking step, how about supporting people who don’t know how to cook in terms of teaching them what to consider when shopping for food materials, cooking steps, and so on. It will let them know how much joy cooking experiences can give to people. (Updated 1/25/2017)
