In 1999, the head of Microsoft released the book "Business with the Speed of Thought" and in it he made 15 assumptions, which at that time seemed strange, but now they have become a reality.
- Comparison of prices.
Gates' forecast was that in the future special services will be developed to compare prices, which will allow consumers to see prices on different sites and facilitate the search for the lowest price. Now there are such sites in almost all markets of the world. For example, in Ukraine it is price.ua
- Smartphones
Bill Gates believed that in the future there will be "miniature mobile devices that will allow people to always stay connected and do business wherever they are." His opinion tended to the fact that with the help of this device you can do almost anything - from purchases on the Internet, to trading on the stock exchange. In the end, we have not only smartphones, but also a bunch of other similar devices.
- Medical online services and instant payments
"People will be able to pay bills, manage the budget and communicate with doctors on the Internet," Gates writes. It can not be said that this is now very common and is considered the norm, in health technology penetrates slowly, but there are already shifts. For example, sites that help you choose a doctor online and make an appointment. But instant payments are already the norm, for example, known to all PayPal and other systems.
- Personal Assistants and "Internet of Things"
The invention of personal asistentsy took some time, but they are quite popular and there are almost every device. This is not the level of assistance that Gates predicted, but it is already close. In his opinion, "such devices will check your mail, search for the necessary information and notify about updates."
- House surveillance systems
Although not so common with us, but now there are many projects that allow you to set up house tracking systems that will help you find out who came to you while you were away.
- Social networks
Bill Gates predicted the emergence of sites for a narrow circle of people, where people could exchange information. Now we have in addition to the well-known Facebook there are also messengers, which allow you to contact your friends: WhatsApp, Viber, Telegram. Or social networks that allow you to share your life on the air: Instagram, Twitter, Periscope.
- Personalization of advertising
The assumption that advertising will be matched to the needs and interests of the user has come true, because now the ads are selected based on your recent requests, visited pages and other things. Google and Facebook suggest how you can spend time based on your location and interests.
- Discussion of sports events in real time
Now it does not even seem strange or impossible, but in 1999 it was something unusual. Now many services offer to discuss in real time, not only sports, but also other events, carrying out the broadcasts that are available in almost all popular services. In many ways, it's worth paying tribute to the Twitter, which seems to have been specially created for this function.
- A little more about the personalization of advertising
Bill Gates believed that requests for purchases will be processed and based on them will be selected advertisements. Now it's in order of the norm and actively use Facebook and Google.
- Links to sites on the air
"Broadcasting will include links to relevant websites and content that will complement what you see." Almost every commercial channel allows the user to go to the right page, track the business news on Twitter or scan the QR code for Snapchat. A rare modern broadcast is not tied to the site.
- Internet forums
Gates believed that there will be sites where people from different places in the world will be able to discuss common topics. Forums were one of the first manifestations of social networks and already had time to sink into oblivion, as most are accustomed to using social networks, but completely this kind of Internet sites will never die. Reddit remains one of the most popular services in the world, uniting people from different corners of the Earth.
- Separation of users by interests
If earlier it was usual to divide by location, the modern world is divided by common interests, as Gates said. Thanks to forums and social networks, people can split into clubs of interest, finding like-minded people right on the net. For the 21st century, relationships at a distance and online friendship are a common thing.
- Software for project management
"On the Internet, managers will be able to gather a team, discuss projects and read reviews about employees." Job search sites, applications and social networks are all that now allows an employer and an employee to find each other.