My topic for the Paradigm Shift essay was how the smartphone, led by Apple’s original iPhone in 2007, has become the true personal computer of our era. It has transformed the role technology plays in our lives and the way consumers think of technology, bringing us into constant contact with all the resources of the Internet, regardless of where we are.
For my TED talk, I’d be interested in explaining and documenting that shift, arguing that so-called “personal computers” (PCs) are no longer viewed as personal at all. The computer has changed from a revered but not personal (as in not for the typical consumer) piece of technology in the 1940s to more of a commonplace towards the start of the new millenium, while today it is beginning to become de-emphasized an less personal again. Ten years ago, the PC was how people accessed the Internet, but now the smartphone can assume many of the same capabilities and fit in your pocket. The role of the PC is changing in our society today, subjugated by the ever-popular smartphone and tablet, and further in the future, what will become of the PC as we know it today?
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