"Death of Tablet" ? Not really but going toward the "End of the Screen"

Thorsten Heins,  BlackBerry's CEO has recently predicted that the tablet are not a good business model and that this market will shrink drastically in the next five years.

Many journalists have only reported his declaration without really analysing the market trends and the impact of newcoming and mature technology.

(source : http://blog.thomsonreuters.com/index.php/apple-v-samsung/)

First, when looking at the evolution of smarphone screen's size and tablets screen's size the difference is now about 3 inches, the latter being more and more cannibalized by the first.

(source : http://blog.thomsonreuters.com/index.php/apple-v-samsung/)

Second, the OS's are virtually the same whether you are using a smartphone or a tablet. Hence, you won't do more with a tablet than with a smartphone. Actually it's the contrary if you are using a wi-fi only tablet.


The smartphone appears more versatile than its bigger counterpart.
Reminds you something ? yes, the dinausaur disappeareance.
In a more and more mobile world, big items happen to be a hassle.

Many expectations have been put on tablet and even if efforts have been done with work applications, it turn out be limited to its display functionnality for viewing movies or pictures. Here is the Achilles's heel, it's display function. And here's why.

Indeed, more than that, we should analyse Mr Heins' prediction and go beyond to understand that it means more if not the death but the appearance of new technologies that might change radically the smartphone.

1. Shared screen

Source : http://www.gizmag.com/samsung-galaxy-beam/21606/

With screens being everywhere and allthemore connected, it is reasonable to think that there will be plenty of possibilities to display the content of your smartphone (and it's already the case) on your TV, on your car's dashboard, etc ... On the other end, a pico-projector, again some smartphones have it, allow us to display on any surface. This means that we are heading toward a screen size that will adapt to our needs and not have a limitation.

2. Holography

Source : http://futurevisitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/20-Holographic-Mobile-Phone.jpg

Additionally, the recent advances on holographic technologies help us foresee a great usage of mobile handsets. 
The holographic images could be displayed right out of the handset or through specific glasses. 

Of course, it is to date impossible to say when such technology will be accessible for mass market. 

3. The end of the Smartphone ?
In conclusion, the end of the tablet would also mean the end of the smartphone as we know it today. Apple's rumor move toward the watch and the launch of Google glasses appear to me as smartphone killer. In his declaration, Mr. Thorsten Heins has declared he has no intention to be a copycat. Sticking to a smartphone as we know it today is also a risky business also financially supported by mobile operators. I hope then that blackberry has already introduced mutation genes to generate a new specie of mobile handset, otherwise we will continue to watch the extinction of a Mammoth.
Hence, the future of the smarphone, in the next five years could probably be a mix of :

and

So what about you, what's your prediction ?

The Electronic Fork : Is French food habit loosing its weight ?

The CES Show always keeps its promises of new innovations and brings near futur electronic and computer consuming trends.

The CES 2013 has help enlight an innovation that is far from being one in terms of its impact on public health it is supposed to address. However, I was sad to learn that it was a french team that commited this major “sacrilège” of bringing a questionable electronic device in the sanctuary that represents the meal time.

Relying on clinical and scientific studies which have shown that it takes at least 20 min for the brain to register the meal intake has occured, the engineers of HAPIFORK have come up with the idea that a technological tool would make it, regardless of what’s inside the plate or where this meal would take place. Indeed, I foresee through this “supposetobe” innovation, the two different visions of food place in our life. Choose yours …

In fact, this gadget is ignoring many dimensions from the sociological to the nutritional perspective going through the economical prism that make a successful strategy to weight control and better food habits outcomes.

“Déjeuner des Canotiers” - 1880-1881 ; Auguste Renoir (French painter, 1841-1919)

First, as the inventors are french, they can’t ignore that food education should be done as early as possible. Much effort has been put at school in France especially at the K-6 levels to help children, that do not received good food habits, develop their food taste, and learn how to eat with helping dedicated staff in the cafeteria. This approach associated to public health campaigns may highly account for the youth obesity curve reduction while it is still going up in numerous other countries including USA. I leave it to your judgment how this fork will correct by itself years of bad food habits.

Second, Imagine yourself bringing your fork when invited for a diner out with friends or going to Sunday’s Aunt Lunch. I believe you also already pictured someone going to a Fast Food where he has given himself less than 20 minutes for the embarrassing chore, order a cheeseburger and looking at his fork to see how it would help … Of course, the consumer that has a hundred bucks to spend on that product is certainly not the one that is making the “Burgerdollars” of the Yellow Clown.

Third and last, in these nowadays overconsumption of technology and invading Quantified Self practices, it would be beneficial to leave it out of the table to make the meal time as a resting and free moment. Appreciating the meal and making it a moment of pleasure is a key factor in weight control and good digestion. Having a stressful time anticipating the moment your fork will vibrate, is exactly the contrary of what you would expect.

In conclusion, expecting however some positive results on digestion for people eating too fast, although much less expensive strategies are known, it is globally the place of the meal time in our rushing lives that is a challenge. Preserving this time, when many part of our lives have became stressful moments, is an essential approach to weight control. France and many other countries where food habits have been recognized as participating to a better health should be regarded as models and in that domain I would better rely on our Chefs than engineers other you would end up in “biting bytes” instead of tasty foods …

Bon appétit … !
Dr. Adam M. SELAMNIA (Ph. D. Physiology of Human Nutrition; MBA).
Paris, FRANCE