You expect to hear bold statements about the obsolescence of mainstream technology every now and then. Just not from the ones who drop the ball on innovation and are currently playing a desperate game of catchup.
So of course, the techosphere let out a collective chuckle when BlackBerry boss, Thorsten Heins declared that tablets are not a good business model, and will be obsolete in five years.
I’m inclined to agree with him, however. Without sympathy for BlackBerry’s confused mumbling about the same technology that is killing PCs, Mr Heins is definitely on to something. Between Moore’s law and the ever-contracting innovation cycle, the world as we know it will at least be a very different place from what it is now. In that world, we might not be tapping on tablets. We might be jabbing the air, or might have even discovered ways to telekinetically manipulate our environment.
So while Mr. Heins “might” be right about tablets in five years, he’s certainly not clairvoyant. And he’s not the only one that anticipates it. Google, Apple, Microsoft and Samsung have moved past phones and tablets and have been poking at the fringes of augmented reality and wearable computing for a while now. You’ve probably heard of them — glasses, iWatches, kinect game consoles and things. But what is BlackBerry doing right now? They are still trying to prove that they can make touchscreen and Qwerty phones that today’s mobile consumer will buy.
Phones, ladies and gentlemen.
You know what? Let’s stop talking about tablets for a bit, Mr Heins. Look into the crystal ball, take a look at those cards…and tell us something we don’t know. Tell us what BlackBerry will be doing in five years from now.
In five years, I see BlackBerry to be the absolute leader in mobile computing — that’s what we’re aiming for. — Thorsten Heins.
I was hoping he’d be a bit more specific.
Playing Cards designed by Marcela Abbade from The Noun Project
