Conclusion

Convergence has already helped parts of our society by leaps and bounds, but it does have its problems. Reliability is a large issue when it comes to merging multiple technologies in a smaller, tighter space. In the late 1990s, the TV/VCR/DVD combo became very popular for a while, until they became notorious for having at least one of its three functions break down in a short period of time. Some users are willing to sacrifice reliability for convenience however, and if there is one thing convergent technologies or industries have been thus far, it is convenient (at least for some parties involved).

Technologies like cellular phones that are internet capable as well as can perform other tasks like text messaging, taking pictures, and so on, are now the norm in what once was thought impossible. Many people that carried the large beige brick phone to work every day will probably recall a time in which the last thing they thought a cellular phone would include was a high resolution liquid crystal display and the ability to take pictures at a higher resolution than most computer monitors of the time.

With the new trend of combining technologies for ease of use, making them faster and smaller, there is really no telling where convergence will take us in the future. Perhaps a car that drives itself via built in navigation systems, avoiding obstacles and construction by relaying GPS information to other vehicles on the road. There may be a cellular phone with a projector that works as a full function laptop, or a digital camera that automatically uploads images to a web service, tagging these images based on what the camera perceives it is taking a picture of. Only time will tell what is actually possible and what will remain science fiction in this field that has only scratched the surface of possibility.

Closing Questions