It’s no secret that mobile users are turning to their phones before reaching for their laptops or sitting at their desktops.
Today’s phones are capable of so much more that many users are rarely making calls on them. Between texting, photo sharing, video capture, document creation and editing, and even looking for information, there is hardly a need to spend hours on the computer. This has sparked the notion that smartphones may someday replace computers.
Expectations
With new apps being developed daily, your smartphone is actually living up to its name. They are becoming smarter, more intuitive, and full of productive features. Tasks that were once only able to be completed on the computer are now able to be completed on the go using your smartphone. This decreases the need for getting on the computer.
According to Pew Research Center, one in four smartphone users prefer accessing the internet using their phones rather than a conventional computer. In addition, one-third of the users don’t bother with internet at home. This shows the transition from computer usage to the mobile phone convenience. Other users say they prefer the clarity and speed of their phones rather than the slow loading, blur of a computer screen.
Researchers are seeing a huge increase in smartphone sales while computer sales are on the decline, this is more evidence that smartphones are in and computers are on their way out. Above that, the introduction of tablets has created a stir in mobile usage and computing, taking the mouse and keyboard we used to utilize out of the equation.
The Future
With new designs of smartphones gearing more towards computer users and mimicking the everyday tasks they complete, the future of computers seems bleak. Manufacturers are appealing to the computer community to lure them into their smartphone web.
The future of smartphone design is expected to mimic the computer even more than it already has. With full operating systems that will allow you to run programs and apps quickly and efficiently. In the past small palm PC’s had their 20 minutes of fame, perhaps before their time. As mobile computing grows, our phones will soon be able to do it all.
As apps grow more powerful and cloud storage becoming more available, all of your computing will be mobile and virtual. There will be less of a need for massive storage devices as you utilize limitless amounts of online storage. This will allow for cheaper technology, faster mobile computing with fewer resources being used.
Mobile smartphones are the future of technology. As computer components are shrinking and being integrated into our phones, we will see the use of conventional computers reducing and fading into the background. As phones become cheaper, plans lowering their prices and mobile networks reaching further, users will continue to grow in the mobile market.
Stephanie Sanders is a communications consultant that writes for mobilephones.org.uk, offering a large selection of cheap mobile phones and unique plans.