According to Gartner, Inc, consumers’ digital lives have transitioned from the PC to a personal cloud-driven world which is driving a new kind of interaction between consumers and their connected services.
In the future, the firm says that consumers will use and interact with a multitude of connected, sensor-enabled devices driven by applications and services to create cognizant ecosystems independent of a platform or operating system.
The research firm underscores that computing is not a new concept but is the natural evolution of a world driven not by devices but rather collections of applications and services. And these applications and services extend across multiple platforms and exist outside the realm of connected screens, such as phones, tablets, PCs or televisions. As a result, applications are active round the clock, need not be turned on or off and ultimately provide a greater amount of relevant information that can eventually drive behavior change. This is something that is not possible in stand-alone applications or devices.
Gartner points out that the invisible and cognizant devices ranging from wristwatches, key fobs, thermostats and shoes are the digital equivalent of undeveloped property which can become extraordinarily valuable to the user when linked to the appropriate services to extend their use. Although the idea behind today’s cognizant devices have been around for more than a decade, wearable technology, such as smart watches have, for the most part, failed to gain any traction with the consumer. These devices failed to gain traction because of high costs, little perceived value, an emphasis on technology over form and the need for them to exist as stand-alone products and services that did not and could not tie into a larger ecosystem or platform.
However, going forward, personal cloud services and ecosystems are going to be the center of the digital consumer experience. Combined with increasingly ubiquitous connections, cognizant devices offer new opportunities to drive new device adoption, grow personal cloud services and act as a tipping point for consumer platform adoption.
