It is easily said that the era existing today is one that has the stamp of consumer electronics all over it. There have been technological advances galore just in the last ten to twenty years and everyone today seems to have an endless supply of gadgets at home, in the office, in their cars and on their person all of the time to help make life easier and more entertaining. While it may be true that the gadgets of recent years have changed the world that you live in, more and more today it is not so much all of the gadgets that you need to have but the different software that you need to have that is really changing the world. It does bring up the question is software taking the reins from technology and gadgets and becoming more prominent than ever?
Software and Applications do the Jobs of Gadgets Today
In the past, it was not unusual for you to have a wide variety of devices to help you with several tasks. You had a device to listen to your music, you had your phone, your computer, your fax machine, your answering machine and countless other devices. Industry would always come up with a new device to help you tackle another job at home or at work so that you had something else to put on your desk or in your entertainment center. Today, all of that has changed thanks to the smartphones that exist today. More people use their smartphones now to do everything than ever before because there are countless applications available that can assist you with every task imaginable. You no longer need things like a laptop computer, television, radio, fax machine, answering machine or more because it can all be done through a single device with the right application or software. This is making many of the devices of the past (and even the recent past) seem obsolete as sales of some consumer electronics and development and improvements in some areas have stalled.
Devices as Platforms Today
People today are looking more towards the technology and gadgets today as a platform that can perform several functions and use a variety of applications than those that serve just a single purpose. The best example of this is the e-reader. Where it was first a device that served the purpose of allowing you to read a variety of books on one device, the e-reader has evolved into one that now holds countless applications for watching movies, television, reading magazines, playing games, doing work and more, letting people replace computers with a handheld device.
The trend that exists today has caused many large technology companies to place more emphasis on application development and less on the development and design of new gadgets and technology. There will certainly always be time and money invested in new gadgets that can do different things for you but the trend today seems to lean more towards the creation of applications and software that can help you to make your life easier.