Disruptive New Technology

Until recently, the growth of computer usage was driven primarily by our need to easily work with numbers and text. Computers in the backroom were invisible to us. Computers on our desks and laps were powerful business tools, making us prolific tool users.

Initially, this meant our days included extra work that either wasn't necessary before computers or was done by assistants, graphic artists , and typesetters, among others. The computing trend became to use more tools more of the time, to process more information. Productivity gains were modest initially, but probably reached diminishing returns some time ago.

The world is about to be turned upside down, however. Or perhaps, more exactly, inside out. Whereas previous generations of technology built a tower of new computing tools that required a new mindset to use, the next generation is being built around the human, supporting our different roles and groups.

This technology is called me-centric because it fits into the individual's life in a natural wayit conforms to preferences and requirements, takes orders, and automates any number of delegated tasks . In me-centric computing, every appliance becomes part of my environment, my team, my extension. I get increased power and save time because the vast power of computing technology is working in concert to do my bidding.