Mobile = Personal computing with a capital P
How the world of apps is reshaping computing, for the better
Time was, not so long ago, that computers were used for … well, computing. The first generation of electronic computers, with George Jetson-esque names like ENIAC and Univac, were essentially high-performance abacuses, used to tabulate numeric information like census data, and to power through massive calculations such as predicting weather patterns, modeling nuclear explosions and controlling space flight.
In that context, the idea of a personal computer was utterly absurd. Why would any person possibly need that kind of calculational firepower? The toughest math that most of us encounter with any regularity is figuring a tip at a restaurant.
From heavy mathematics to personal enablement
From today’s vantage point of course, we see computerization as providing a far richer range of utility than simply performing math. A major turning point of course was the advent of the PC, which democratized and revolutionized what had previously been a highbrow fraternity of megabuck business computing. Over time, computers have become our tools for communicating and socializing, entertainment, understanding world events and more. We now use computerized devices to accomplish our most human of acts, from making music and art, to articulating our ideas and relating to those we love.
And today, the new generation of smartphones, tablets and wearable devices are bringing the notion of personal computing to a whole new degree of Personal, with a capital P – casting desktop PCs in a light much like the mainframes of the past. Versus the bloated general-purpose software applications of the PC world – like say, Microsoft Office – mobile computing is optimized for personal enablement, built on minimalist apps that give us instant access to bits of core functionality.
A vision of things to come
Where in the past, the mainstream computing establishment laughed off the emergent personal computer as a toy, today’s mobile trend is being taken seriously, and in fact lauded asevolutional – the harbinger of things to come, even for enterprise computing. Last summer, mobile analytics firm Localytics published a post titled The Ten Most Telling Quotes About the Future of Mobile which made clear that mobile technology is not a sideshow, but rather the tip of the spear. For example:
“The rich and interactive experiences we have come to expect on mobile apps have created new standards and expectations for all digital media, including the web. The result is websites are evolving to become more app-like in their rich functionality.”
– Raj Aggarwal, CEO of Localytics
“In 2020… There will be a widespread belief that the World Wide Web is less important and useful than in the past and apps are the dominant factor in people’s lives.”
– PewResearch Internet Project
“Mobile is the enabling centerpiece of digital convergence. Mobile is the glue for all other digital industries to use when approaching convergence, but mobile is also the digital gateway for the real world to join in this global metamorphosis of human behavior.”
– Tomi Ahonen, consultant and speaker
Personal enablement for workplace performance
We agree with their assessments, and in fact find that their perspective sheds an interesting light on our own mobile technology. Designed to maximize a salesperson’s performance, our Allego app is 100% about personal enablement – yet at the same time is also 100% a business app.
The bridge it constructs between the individual user and the organization is profound. As a personal learning app, it can be used whenever, wherever to prepare for the very next sales call – even reviewing selling points while waiting in the lobby for the prospect. And because it’s built on video content, the Allego app delivers usable information with amazing efficiency.
Yet it is inherently an organizational technology, leveraging social sharing and crowdsourcing from within the sales team. It lets individual users explore and learn from selling messages and strategies from posts shared by others, and also enables manager-peer coaching and peer-to-peer coaching.
Mobile technology has indeed been a game-changer. And we’re excited about both where it’s brought us so far with our Allego app, and also about the new worlds of functionality we have yet to discover – for people who want to maximize their workplace performance.