The Shape of Things to Come?

Yes, thin is in. Just ask Apple.

But what's most amazing about Apple's Air is that it only uses Wi-Fi for network connectivity. There is no CD or DVD drive for getting applications loaded (yes there's a USB connector). They provide a special utility that lets you use the network to access another CD/DVD drive in a different machine somewhere on a network somewhere. And this is Wi-Fi thing only the beginning.

Instat recently estimated that by the end of next year mobile (Wi-Fi enabled) device shipments will reach 170 million up from 70 million in 2007.  Wow. Another interesting factoid centers around the use of Apple's iPhone. According to M:Metrics, for the first three months of use in the U.S., nearly 86% of owners use the device to go online. And the Kelsey Group reported that 44% of Americans would consider upgrading their phone if it provided better Internet access.  I just did.

Meanwhile hoteliers everywhere are scrambling to overhaul their vanilla Wi-Fi networks. Wi-Fi is no longer an amenity at hotels but now a reason for people to choose one.  But it better work, and work good or guests will complain and complain loudly, probably never returning. Crappy Wi-Fi has become on of the top three complaints at hotels (the other two are bad-breath front desk clerks and no Ouzo at the lobby bar...I think). 

Lodgian, the country's largest independent hotel owner and operator with brands such as Intercontinental, Courtyard Marriott, Crowne Plaza, Raddisson and others, recently undertook and aggressive Wi-Fi project to outfit all their properties with a more industrial-grade Wi-Fi that could reach everywhere and support applications such as voice and video.

Wi-Fi is quickly becoming essential at home, in the office and everywhere else you go.  But Wi-Fi still sucks for doing anything other than surfing the net.  This is because it can't adapt to changes in the environment very well.  And while 802.11 speeds things up, it doesn't do much more.

For Wi-Fi to be the useful utility everyone wants it to be it must be as reliable as a wire, reach everywhere, perform like Big Ben, be as simple as any Apple product and support multimedia everything.

Once this happens, we'll begin seeing Wi-Fi used as a viable service delivery mechanism by carriers.  They already view Wi-Fi as a strategic part of their service strategy and are planning to use it for new managed services at home, hotspots and in the enterprise.