OpenRoad + Mod7
Two pioneering organizations, together at last.
OpenRoad is pleased to announce the acquisition of creative agency Mod7.
Read the letter from our PrincipalTravel and Adventure... Apple Style
Posted on April 28, 2010 in Technology by Mod7
Apple's impact on the music industry is blah blah yeah we know it's frickin inmazingable: its sway in TV and entertainment burgeoning (though doubtful ); its sea-changing stranglehold on the mobile universe positively displacing; and its piece of the tablet pie smells so tasty to the print industry (too little, too irrelevant).
Not to mention I hear they try to sell computers now and then.
Now, they have their sights set on changing the way we travel and make reservations ( againagainagain ). A patent application by the fruitful company aims to bring reservations and check-in for air, car, train and more into the palm of your hand (see 3rd party analysis and sexy exciting diagrams here ).
But wait, isn't this just another app? What's so exciting and OMG about that? "Well, the ability to quickly and easily make your travel arrangements wherever you are is certainly a great convenience", says the guy who has everything.
However, it's the possible inclusion of a Near Field Communications (NFC) device that changes a few things. It beams signals, like, up to 4 INCHES away. Using this, you can sync up with agents, machines, and invasive security to streamline your way through the travel gauntlet using one handy device. Talk about location-based...
It also remains to be seen if Apple will work with, or against, the currently established players in the online travel reservation sphere. Will Apple be adding its own destinations and packages to iTunes? As if that monster of a program weren't bloated enough.
I can't help but wonder the following:
- The travel industry's shake-up and reboot in the '90s already changed the key players and placed unprecedented power in the hands, virtually-speaking, of consumers (well, until you get on a flight with a terrible airline , but that's another story). Given Apple's track record for gutting established industry institutions and processes, is there room, or a desire, for yet another travelgeddon? My guess is no, but this is potentially more about cosmetics rather than process, and the implications aren't all that dramatic. Besides, some of these innovations have been a long time coming, Apple or not.
- How much all-encompassing, life-managing power should we embed in a piece of technology that's subject to breakage, system failure, or simply running out of battery juice? I suppose that's a borderline philosophical question, but I sure hope we're backing up regularly. Ironically, it may be recommended that you print out a copy of your itinerary anyway.
I'm not getting too much into a tizzy at this point, anyway. Keep it in perspective. While it may seem like all the cool kids have an iPhone , let's not forget that it still has a relatively small share of the smartphone market , which is itself an even smaller blip in the worldwide mobile phone market. For all the hype and excitement, it's pretty much still that: hype and excitement fanned by Apple's incredible marketing prowess and fanboys.