The Turning Point in Smartphones
A decade ago, I was in high school. The iPhone was coming out and everyone wanted it. iPods were the size of a cassette tape. It was the turning point; people were transitioning from "smart" phones to phones that could launch a space mission.
20 years of Innovation
We were the tech generation, the first generation with personal computers from a young age, raised with MS-DOS, Doom, Dune, and Dangerous Dave, the skrewroottshhh tones of dial-up and "you've got mail!".
Now imagine a world without iPhones. Without the app economy. 1 billion iPhones have been made and there are about 94 million in use (Thanks planned obsolescence!). iPhone and it's competition have revolutionized the way we live.
The initial iPod came out in 2001, 16 years ago, the first MP3 player was in 1997, a full 20 years ago. Apple made the MP3 player pretty and intuitive. They were popular but they weren't crucial and given the choice between carrying a cell phone or an iPod, people would grab their cellphone. Apple had to innovate in a way that made their product a need to have, not a nice to have. What if we jammed a cellphone in an iPod? The iPhone was born.
Crypto's iPhone
In 2009, Bitcoin's genesis block was mined. This is similar to the first MP3 player.
In 2011, Namecoin was created. This was just another mp3 player, no name recognition, no major brand but important because it was the difference in "have you heard of bitcoin?" and "have you heard of crypto currency?"; the beginning of the crypto world.
In 2015, Ethereum was created. Is this iPod or is this Microsoft Zune or maybe the Samsung YEPP PMP's? Only time will tell.
In 2017, there are over 4,000 altcoins. We're approaching a time period like when every tech company had a MP3.
The Future of Crypto
I don't own a crystal ball but anyone can see that there will be major innovation in the crypto industry. The most impactful catalyst of widespread adoption will likely be in making crypto intuitive and indispensable for the average person. At this point, crypto is in many ways a curiosity, a convenience. The learning curve acts a barrier to entry and until it's a matter of a few buttons, it just won't achieve widespread adoption. This innovation will likely be as simple as improvement in User Experience/User Interfaces, enhanced security with the dawn of consumer level quantum computing, and integration in day to day life - including in existing businesses and industries.
Fear of Crypto
The masses need to understand crypto in order to overcome their fear of crypto. I've touched on this in another article about crypto trading. Crypto enthusiasts could easily have "In Bitcoin We Trust" or "In Ethereum We Trust" on our currency if it were physical. The volatility, the risk, stories of hacks, and loaded/technical language are all emphasized and used in mainstream media to discourage people from getting into the crypto world. Crypto needs ambassadors in the media, people with balanced and varied perspectives on the benefits and risks associated with crypto.
Crypto Needs You
For Crypto to reach widespread adoption, the people in crypto need to talk about it. Talk about the technology. Talk about how easy it is. Provide resources. Offer advice. Suggest it as a solution in your industries. Tell businesses about it. Tell your family about it. Crypto also needs innovators. Do you have an idea that you think could change the (crypto) world? Work on it!
This is a call to action for all of us in crypto to reach out and to work towards crypto's iPhone.
Hey Ash! I found you on here from the Crypto fb group. Stoked to connect in this world since Steemit is the future! Excited to hear more about your perspective on crypto and the new world it's creating!
Awesome! I'm glad you enjoyed the article and look forward to seeing more of you both here and in the CCC/CCCB :)
Indeed! See ya around.
Totally agree! I think the crypto-world is still too technical to be adopted by the majority of the people.
I see a lot of people having troubles just buying bitcoins, let alone securing their offline wallets...
Yes, I help admin a beginners group on facebook and there's a serious learning curve. I've put together resources and continually offer assistance, but the group is growing fast (over 6k people in under a month). There needs to be some serious improvements in educational materials in the crypto world.
Great contribution piece, Ash! You really put a great perspective on this that's easy to share with others. In fact, I already have! Anybody can read this and understand it; and if they have questions, they'll be easily answered. Thanks for this... keep 'em coming!
Thanks Geoff :)