Is convergence always a good thing?

“As soon as one operator adopts convergence, all the others have to follow”. I think that this quote from this week’s readings is the point that all readers should dwell upon and take home. This is a pattern that the world has been witness to over the past decade. Even for minimal items such as mp3 players; when Apple created a popular version, Microsoft was right therewith the Zune, and when the video iPod came out, all other mp3 players were upgraded as well. Cell phones are another great example. The iPhone, all mobile device providers are working diligently to coming up with the next great hand held device that allows you to do everything with the palm of your hand. It’s not just the companies that are feeling this way about products and being one step ahead or just at the same level as their competitors. Consumers are hungry for convergence, the more the better, it seems. The second that the iPhone came out, so many people owned them, mastered them and looked for something that could do more. They are always looking for the next application that is going to allow them to combine something else into their handheld device. For example, some people don’t even need a flashlight anymore because there is an application for that. In the near future, people won’t have to travel anymore for business, they won’t have to leave their homes to communicate. More and more people yearn for the convergence of everything in their lives, it is like the world is on a technology savvy trip and everyone is thirsty for more.

The fact that consumers act the way they do, it only fuels the fire and the reason for companies to converge. And the statement that all the other will have to follow is nothing but the truth. If a company decides they don’t want to converge, the evidence shows that consumers will not put up with that. The future of companies in the telecom industry is set on the path for convergence. I think that it is a positive thing because that is what the consumers want, but is it a positive thing for our personal communication skills? I think that companies should think twice before the convergence chaos starts, they need to think about the impact that all of the new technologies will have on a gadget and technology crazed society.

1. What would be the drawbacks of convergence, if any?
2. When do you think that people will say enough is enough to all of the converging technologies combined into our cell phones or other devices?

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