The Power of Mobility ( Part I )

How different is today compared to 5 years ago? 10 years ago? I can't really get even further because there have been so many changes even in the last 5 years. World Wide Web was brought free to the public in 1993. Pentium III microprocessors were introduced in 1999. We started getting faster internet services rather than 56K in the last decade as well. Many important milestones were set. However, all these inventions were created to make the applications in the desktops or the desktops have better performance. If I had the authority to pick the most influential or essential invention in the last 10 years or even 5 years, I would the whole notion of mobility established by the devices, as well as services provided.

If I ask you what is the most important thing to you these days, I would probably get answers like cell phones, laptops, iPods or even Facebook. The similarity or connections between all these devices or services is the word "Mobility". We are no longer limited to a specific place, specific time to absorb information, to communicate, and to buy or sell products and services.

Some of the most important contributors:
WiFi, unofficially known as wireless fidelity, says it all. Wire Flied or Wire-Free. It is so important nowadays that most of the people in the developed countries rely on the wireless connections to work, to shop, to do business, to socialize, etc. According to Jiwire, there are currently 200,137 Wi-Fi hotspots in 135 countries. WiFi allows us to shift our workplace, our study place, to wherever we feel comfortable and energetic. Since then, computers are no longer stuck on the desk. Computers can be everywhere. Studies from IBM, Cisco and HP also indicates that wireless lan provides mobility and flexibility to the employees, which in return the employees can work more hours and hence increase their productivity.


iPod, a fascinating products created by Apple, has changed the world in terms of how people receive audio and video information. Many analysts try to understand why iPods, as followers (iPod is not the first MP3 player in the market), can bring such a huge success and in a way it also shifts Apple's business focuses. In my opinion, Apple's advertising campaign played a very important role.

You must have seen the ads below, right? While most of the players in the market focused on the technical specification

and functionality, Apple asked the customers to eye on the "U experience". It is the "U experience" that makes iPod successful. When you look at the ad and start thinking putting yourself into the ad, Apple catches you. As you are engaged, you are involved in the ad, the products become unresistant or a must. It now becomes an identification within a social community, especially among college students.
More surprisingly, Apple doesn't end there. With the vertical integration of setting up iTunes store, Apple provides a totally new method of buying music. Furthermore, Apple also adds function to listen to podcasts and watch videos. Podcasts allows people to listen to audio programs or watch videos on a portable media player, such as iPod. Once you sync the audio file to your iPod, you can listen to the program anywhere anytime. You no longer have to stick with a specific time schedule to listen to the interview or news or even TV programmes, such as 24.

To be continued...


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