“If I Was ABetting Man for the Future”: The Digital and Mobile Edition
My 5 predictions for the future of digital and mobile.
The Predictions:
*drumroll please*
5G
The foundation for most of the predictions in this list and one of the most exciting trends is 5G. The main advantages of the 5G are a greater speed in its data transmissions, lower latency, and therefore a greater capacity of remote execution along with a greater number of connected devices.
Greater speed in transmissions
5G transmission speeds can reach a whopping 15 or 20 Gbps. This will be huge for mobile and other connected devices. By being able to enjoy a higher speed of data, we will be able to access files, programs, and remote applications without…waiting! As there isn’t much worse than buffering, I believe this is a huge win. This, as a result, will allow us to use the cloud to a higher capacity, all devices, mobile, computer, IOT alike, will depend less on the internal memory of the device and on the accumulation of data. It won’t be necessary to install a large number of processors on pcs or mobile phones because computing can be done in the Cloud. This will open up cheaper devices, better online gaming, and evening pcs in the cloud.
Lower latency
Latency is the delay between us giving an order on our device until the action occurs. In 5G the latency will be ten times less than in 4G, being able to perform remote actions in almost real-time.
Thanks to this low latency and the increase of the sensors, it is possible to control machines of an industrial plant, control logistics or remote transport, surgical operations in which the doctor can intervene a patient who is at another side of the world with the help of precision instrumentation managed remotely!
An even larger number of connected devices
With 5G the number of devices that can be connected to the network increases greatly, it will go to millionaire scale per square kilometre.
It is anticipated that your average home will have up to a hundred connected devices sending and receiving information in real-time. If we think of industrial plants we would speak of thousands of connected devices.
This greater number of connected devices will allow smart cities and autonomous cars to be more than just a dream…
Edge Computing
Most companies store, manage and analyze data on centralized storage, typically in a public cloud or private cloud environment with cloud providers like AWS and Azure. However, traditional infrastructure and cloud computing are no longer able to meet the requirements for many real-life applications. For instance, in the case of IoT, a highly available network with minimal latency is required to process large amounts of data in real-time, which is not possible with a traditional IT infrastructure.
Due to its ability to process data in real-time and its faster response time, edge computing is perfect in the world of IoT, particularly industrial IoT. In addition to accelerating digital transformation for industrial and manufacturing enterprises, edge computing technology allows for more innovations including artificial intelligence and machine learning. And due to the powers of 5G and edge computing combined, mobile is a powerful tool to monitor, manipulate and manage your cloud needs from the palm of your hand. So keep an eye on AWS, Azure, and Google for what they have in the pipeline for Edge Computing.
Mobile Machine Learning
Machine learning is needed to extract meaningful and actionable information from huge amounts of data. A significant amount of computation is required to analyze these huge amounts of data and arrive at an inference. This processing is ideal for a cloud environment where you can rent compute services to act as the workhorse.
But what if you were able to create your model and use it on your mobile or IoT device? Machine learning would then be performed offline instead of working through the cloud. There wouldn’t be any need to send all the data that the mobile has to the network and wait for results back from the server as you have that power in your mobile device. This would open up doors for countless innovation! On top of that, another advantage of mobile machine learning would be that there is no need to send the user data outside the mobile device, enabling better privacy.
Here are some classic examples of machine learning on mobile devices are already out there:
• Speech recognition
• Computer vision and image classification
• Gesture recognition
• Translation from one language into another
• Interactive on-device detection of text
• Autonomous vehicles, drone navigation, and robotics
• Patient-monitoring systems and mobile applications interacting with medical devices
Augmented Reality
Augmented reality is changing the game of mobile in a big way. Specifically, it’s revolutionizing the way consumers interact with the world around them.
For instance, in a retail outlet, shops can show off their merchandise with AR-driven 360º views and interactive experiences where consumers can test products on and see how it looks without even leaving their home or actually putting the product on. Service brands can create AR tutorials of their key offerings, showing customers exactly how much bang they’re getting for their buck before they commit. While also in industry settings a way for workers to be guiding during training or onboarding to the maintenance of machines.
Nothing explains the possibilities of AR more like Pokémon Go which made augmented reality mainstream. The technology has only grown since. In 2016, global revenue from consumer-facing augmented reality mobile apps was more than $725 million. By 2022, estimates suggest that number will skyrocket to $15.5 billion.
There’s no limit to how augmented reality can shape the future of mobile.
Mobile Assistants
AI-powered mobile assistants (Chatbots) continue to make a transforming appearance for an increasing number of mobile apps. AI as a deeply embedded technology fetches most relevant business data and insights that businesses can use for replying to customer queries in the most contextual and relevant manner.
Reports of Gartner show the use of smart virtual assistants and Chatbots is steadily increasing. According to the latest Gartner prediction by 2021, at least 25% of digital employees all over the world will use virtual assistants and bots communication. With the combination of AI technology, Chatbots will have more impact on the mobile app market than ever before.
According to a previous survey, a whopping 71% of users aged between 18–34 are interested to buy their basic consumer goods through Chatbots. In fact, millennials and young audience are most comfortable with the Chatbots for all their digital interactions and for making purchases.
While all of the above are insights and a future for Mobile, Chatbots do have a place in my heart. So I wanted to add an indication of the insights of Chatbots themself for the future:
I’m very excited about the future of Mobile and Digital and look forward to seeing how the world changes in the next few years with the possibility of the above trends!
If you liked what I wrote about please like and even comment as it lets me know I’m on the right track about what I’m writing about and if others are interested :)
