It is fitting that the first post on “Platform Shift” comes soon after WWDC where Apple announced made some big changes. Not necessarily on the technology, which were relatively incremental (GPS, 3G) but in the model of the SDK and App Store. The vision now is that of a new Platform, and not since the PC itself has the possibility of a device that can be widely adopted, and that anybody can create applications for been so possible and powerful.
The Information Appliance paradigm detailed in “The Invisible Computer” is now closer then its ever been. Specialized devices that network to many other systems to create exceptionally useful apps will usher an era of unparalleled growth.
The systems and infrastructure are there, and the new User Interface devices are now emerging (think iPhone, Android, Microsoft Surface and even the Asus EEPC and OLPC). Does the countdown to the end of the PC as a platform start now?
Photo Courtesy of Dekuwa, via Flickr. Used under a Creative Commons License.
