Big Idea 1-Your Car as a Device

In a shocking role reversal, Honda and Toyota are both caught in reverse, and GM and Ford are suddenly surging.  Ford made $2.7 billion last year, as its stock rose 700% without a government bailout.

Perhaps even more shocking is the prospect of real innovation at Ford.  Fast Company referred to the venerable auto maker as “America’s most surprising consumer-electronics company.”[i]

CEO Alan Mulally has a rabbit up his sleeve in the form of a new generation of automobiles. These cars will change our paradigm, from connecting our PDA’s and iPods to our cars, to the car becoming a device itself. Imagine a car being a killer app!

The new marriage of steel and plastic will allow people to actually pay attention to driving their car while getting more functionality than we could have imagined. Sync-My-Ride (cool brand name if I ever heard one) allows you to sync your car to a PC. In 2011, several models will have elaborate touch screens that will allow you to customize the dashboard on your car to your preferences. You can even download your Ford settings onto a thumb drive and load it on another Ford (for example,  a rental car).  Ford may be becoming relevant again.

Big Idea 2-Integrated Internet

Another news item that caught my attention recently was Facebook’s recent announcement that could upset how we use the Internet. 25 year old Mark Zuckerberg and friends are attempting to make the Internet smart; having it anticipate how you want to use it based on your Facebook preferences on things such as friends, sports, hobbies and music.

In concept Facebook tools would be outwardly facing, interacting with other websites so they become a cloud of integrated websites.  Imagine signing on to your fantasy baseball site (you know who you are) and having your favorite Kings of Leon song streaming on Pandora behind it – automatically.

As was the case when ATM’s, email and social networking exploded on the scene, there will be all kinds of security concerns and late adopters but the opportunity to create a fresh online experience is likely to take storm.  Facebook is disruptive once again.

Big Idea 3-Cashless Society

One of the scenarios we project in the book (Intended Consequences) is the trend towards a cashless society. Federal Reserve Banks rarely handle cash or checks anymore; bank commerce is almost entirely electronic.  On the internet, PayPal offers a 3^rd party clearinghouse where money is moved safely from one party to the next.

While we have the ability to transact electronically using a credit card almost everywhere, paying for things can still be slow and arduous. The mechanics of an online transaction are still a barrier;  setting up a new account can feel at times like a root canal, especially when vendors expect you to enter all kinds of extraneous information about your first born and personal income.

In contrast, on iTunes one’s ability to download media is practically instantaneous, and that is what other websites should aspire to.  As new online technologies allow for safer transactions, our ability to instantly download media and pay through a 3^rd party will be a game changer.

 

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[i] Ford’s Big Reveal Fast Company April 2010