Likes & Launch

Mobile is the future, or it was a few years ago. The future is something new, something we haven’t seen yet, the question is whether we ever will. 

No, I don’t believe the next great innovation will never arrive, instead, I think the next technology for change is coming but won’t arrive in the form of a device. Instead, it’ll be powered by each of us, the last millimeter of the internet. 

The Accessible Web
When discussing human interaction with the internet, the age of personal computers was built on top of the ‘last mile of the internet’. Getting internet connectivity to personal homes and office spaces. Talk of the 'last mile’ has rose again as we talk about net neutrality, and the need to protect an unbiased connection. 

Mobile brought the 'last meter’ of the internet. It changed our interaction with the web. We weren’t constrained to using the web only in a fixed place. The access 'anywhere’ nature of mobile in combination with more sensors, app ecosystems and global adoption have created a wave of new innovations since their introduction. 

Wearables have provided additional pieces of sensor data, but most are more an extension of the mobile device than revolutionary platforms for a new ecosystem. They are good, but I’m not sure if they’ve gone far enough.

The step after that, the last millimeter, is about bringing perception to our interactions with the web. It brings the ability to learn about us, the things we do, and the things we want to do. Now this is not just 'us’ as the masses, but a personalized reaction to what you, as an individual, do.

What would the last millimeter look like? Only time will tell, it will likely leverage mobile phones for their ability to reach the cloud, so the technology may not look different. 

The biggest difference will be how it feels. 

Near Future
Right now, I can geofence my Hue lightbulbs to turn on when I arrive near my apartment or am the last one to depart. It’s a sweet gesture but it’s not always accurate and it requires keeping a 'geo’ ping on all of the time.

Now, my human logic would want to include more complicated tasks and nuance. Don’t geo-ping if I’m at work. If it’s dark out, turn the lights on. If someone else is in the apartment, don’t turn off the lights until they leave too. Maybe on different holidays Hue could surprise me with a different color theme matching the date of celebration. There are many things that are possible, but will not happen. The expense of setting up rules or daisy-chaining IFFT commands together do not provide enough value.

Okay, Hue lights are geeky and none of those changes are actually going impact my day-to-day. So let’s take something a little more mainstream (for a smart-phone carrying urbanite).  In the winter, I usually take the subway to work. I know that to be at my office on time, I have a certain number of minutes of commute time, just to be safe, to get there on time. I do this everyday so I don’t need advice on how to get to work. 

However, occasionally the trains aren’t running, or they aren’t running on time. I don’t know this until I arrive on the platform. I don’t think to look for this information as I have no reason to suspect my train won’t arrive. I also have little incentive to setup a system to push myself that information when 95% of the time my system works.

The last millimeter apps think like me. Oh hey, you normally take the 6, and the 6 isn’t running this morning. I should plan an alternative route to get to work. If I have more than enough time, I could walk to the N. If it’s nice out I could see if there are Citibikes nearby. If I’m rushed for time I should hail a cab. This logic is occurring in my brain, but actually coordinating additional information to make those decisions is stuck in my phone. I just need those two pieces to work together a little bit closer, with the hope most of the processing will happen on the cloud side and not require me to push buttons, switch apps and anticipate the 'failure points of my commuting routine’. 

The impact of these examples is trivial, but the power of what this level of connection could provide makes me wonder.

Could the elderly have better medical care if they didn’t have to setup the technology to enable reminders to take medicine or remember to check their pacemaker batteries?

Could we distribute excess food supplies in my location to a place in need nearby, because demand and supply are perceived at a larger scale? 

Can we accelerate medical discoveries because learnings can be aggregated, with attribution, in real time? Not in the sense that the technology will be putting together the pieces, but it will enable those doing the work to realize what is going on in other places. No need to 'search’ for discoveries or setup notifications. 

There are many great blogs, books, and films that explore the future and our relationship with technology. Of course, it’s surrounded with questions and concerns around privacy, legal responsibility, and societal changes. Those topics are part of the innovation we’ll need to see too. 

The future is almost here, I’m curious to see the early bridges that lead us to the next great thing.