If Mobile is not the Future, then What is?

During 2008, I have prophesied 13 things about Internet Marketing that came to pass in recent years. 8 years passed and I see many of them came true. e.g.

• Google's Search Preview (though it did not last long)
• Instant search (or search-as-you-type)
• Priority of social media over emails
• The rise of Tablets (I called them Handhelds, back then)
• The rise of widgets and connected data
• Though some of them still have not taken full form, but they are prospectively waiting to be fulfilled:
• The death of mobile operators
• Web-based marketing analytics (Bigdata is now showing prospects into this prophecy)
• TV Channel + Internet + Mobile Subscription coming into one single platform or service (you can find it in my comment)

?Though I am not a Prophet or clairvoyant, I have some predictions for mobile phone or mobility for 5-10 years ahead of 2016:

When WAP was becoming popular, one friend told me, "This is the future". But, WAP did not see much light after a few years. As the capacity of the devices increased, WAP was seem unnecessary. Now a days, many people are saying that "Mobile is the Future". But, I oppose that, since mobile may not remain as THE mobile we know today. 

If you look back into the evolution of the devices in your home, then you might see that Cassette Player, VCR, Camera, Radio, and even TV has now converged into one device. It's really not about making the devices small. The most important factor here is to converge multiple devices into one to offer more utility. 

So, mobile is not the future, convergence is! 

If we take this example of the past and apply it on the situations at present, then see that your laptop, mobile, tab, and TV are separate devices. If convergence is to happen, then these devices too will merge into one device or platform. But, how can you get the power and flexibility of a laptop in a mobile phone? 

The answer lies in your TV in the wall and its evolution. See how TV is getting thin day by day. As LCD is already in market, we might see foldable screens in very near future. Samsung and Oppo are competing to roll out foldable screen phones. However, these phones still do have steel backbone, but in future you might backbone-less Amoeba-ic phones (or lets call then Floppy Handhelds). It might be folded into a 6" inch and while spread, you might get 60" screen. 

Moreover, with Smart TVs, more and more people will start browsing the internet in their TVs. So, don't think that the future relies on small screen, rather you may embrace the screen-size-you-like in future. Therefore, those who have not thought of making their site responsive for various screen size, they are leaving out the big picture. 

So, mobile is not the future, flexibility (aka responsive) is! 

Dropbox had made our file accessibility more flexible. There also, Google Drive, OneDrive, iCloud, and many others including cloud storage for images. With the help of these cloud storage, you can view your files in any device. 

But, one thing you could not make it remotely accessible like your files, is "The Operating System". You still need to install operating systems in separate devices. But, in near future, you might not need to install any OS in any device. You can use any Open Source OS like Firefox OS and get access to files and OS Arrangement in any device. Or have the same look and feel as you change from one device to another. All you might need is a browser or window. And you also can save file in the cloud as much as you want. 

So, mobile is not the future, cloud computing is! 

Now a days, we carry many devices like flash drive, pen drive, SD cards, etc. But in near future, you may not need to carry anything as long as you have internet access. Any device in public place can be turned into your phone, TV, and/or laptop. As mobility of information and OS gets introduced, you might not need to carry anything with you. 

So, mobile is not the future, mobility is!