Technology without a use is, of course, useless. And I sometimes feel that I am reading a lot about useless technology still. Sure, the promise is there, but a lot of it is just hype. A few examples:
- 3D printing (aka additive manufacturing) still behaving like a circus sideshow. Lots of oohs, aahs, and a concrete bridge. But very little beyond use in prototyping and customisation just yet. Very slow prototyping and customisation. The scale at which it ceases to be non-economical seems to be everything more than a one-off. So it’s great for ersatz human parts where customisation is obligatory and high costs can be absorbed by the well-off. But it may not be quite so grand in the sportswear apparel wars. Like this article in Harvard Business Review explains, its time will come, but it’s just not quite yet.
- Blockchain is another technology that may yet revolutionise everything from taxis (move over Uber) to land registrations. Its uses will likely be widespread in time to come, replacing the historical trust instruments like deeds, contracts, and banknotes for their dematerialised but probably more secure digital alternatives. But, as this article lays out, there is a lot still to be agreed before the world accepts that change and puts its trust into what is still very much the wild west.
- The machine-to-machine tech (aka Internet of Things) is another area that is still finding (and defining) standard ways of working, as well as how to mitigate security concerns. It’s a technology filled with promise but pinning your electrical or transportation grids to a technology only to have hackers take you hostage is still a worry. When lightbulbs can be hacked, it’s clear security is still slowing down IoT’s realisation of its potential. While hacking was probably not something Thomas Edison had to worry about, he did have to worry about competition. And today proprietal attitudes remain as another hindrance to pace. But we are starting to see some interesting partnerships. I was particularly excited by this report in the MIT Technology Review on Apple teaming with GE for an interface that allows factory managers to use all the data generated by IoT implementations in the same way as we scroll through Facebook data. Data is useless unless you have some way of seeing it and acting upon it. This partnership and its associated open software development kit will allow an ecosystem of useful tools to evolve. Again, in time.
To be sure, we are at a tipping point with many of these examples, and a whole lot more technology that I haven’t mentioned. Most of it will, I believe, deliver on the promise in the next few years. Maybe not specific promises, but in general. Nevertheless, issues and challenges remain. Given the maturity levels, technical complexity and sheer abundance of hyperbole of some of these technologies, it’s going to be vital for companies and their procurement teams not to be too dazzled by the hype. Or by the commercial terms being offered by the dazzlers. It is more necessary than ever to to judiciously apply that old saw, caveat emptor.