Killer Apps, Killer Benefits

Technology has improved our lives and will continue to improve our lives. Its full promise has not been remotely realized yet – there is much more to come.

Technological advances allow the production of more output from existing resources. This include more efficient ways of producing existing output which leads to more output and lower prices as well as the production of new (or substantially improved) items such as anti-lock brakes, cell phones and other innovations. We gain both from more output/cheaper prices and from improved items and innovations.

Innovations can have major impact on our lives. The term “Killer Apps” is sometimes used to describe innovations with such an impact. Note that we’re using “Killer App” to mean a “Killer Application of Technology” instead of the narrower definition of a “Killer Computer Application.”

Here is a brief list of some technological applications and innovations that have had major positive impacts on most of our lives:

email: How could we live without email? It is the number one “Killer App” in many people’s minds. I’m a 25 year veteran of email, and about fifteen years ago my high tech clients expected me to be accessible by email. Now everyone expects me to be available by email, including my dentist, my 102 year old father (or so he claims), my cleaning lady, and even my occasionally homeless friend Ralphie. I check my email several times almost every single day of the year – and am expected to. This includes Christmas, Easter, my Birthday, etc. My wife says I check my email more often than I go to the bathroom! Many of us are “email junkies.”

I didn’t take my laptop with me for a long weekend at the beach last summer and not checking email daily felt weird – almost unnatural! I felt kind of guilty, and Greeks don’t tend towards guilt, unlike some other groups (you know who you are!).

So what does email do for us? A sort non-exhaustive list includes:

It allows us to stay in touch with more people, including friends, business partners and acquaintances, relatives, etc.
Email reduces time wasted playing “telephone tag” – it’s an asynchronous communication mechanism as opposed to the telephone, which is primarily synchronous, and is far more appropriate for some types of communications.
It reduces the need for meetings and telephone conferences or “bridges.”
It’s great for getting more information from retailers and service providers, as well as resolving difficulties.
It allows the sending and sharing of more than just text – we can send pictures, binaries, documents, etc.
It greatly facilitates telecommuting and working with geographically dispersed groups.

Email is essentially a very efficient communication mechanism that we have come to rely on. I have some very happy clients I’ve never met or talked to – all interaction has been through email!

Shopping and Retailing: Who would have thought that the Internet would have revolutionized shopping and retailing forever?? Although I don’t shop much, I shop primarily online. Why?

I’m not constrained by choices local merchants have or choices in paper catalogs, which are usually out of date before they’re printed.
I don’t need to deal with crowds, inept cashiers, inadequate parking and annoying salespeople.
Hard to find and specialty items are simple to find now.
I can shop at MY convenience.
Prices are often better. Actually prices have improved at local retailers as well due to Internet competition.

There are many retailers that don’t even have a physical presence, and most large established retailers have an online presence. And yes, I have a couple of favorite brick and mortar stores I still frequent and patronize, even if they might cost a bit more. Sometimes I just want to see touch and feel before I buy, or browse, especially with books.

Information Access: Information access and availability is infinitely improved. A few quick examples follow.

A few years ago I was given a bottle of Graham 1983 Port. I knew little about wine, but knew I liked Port and that it was supposed to age a long time before opening it. A quick web search found how to serve it: room temperature, with what: stinky cheeses, and when: it was old enough to taste great but would easily last 20 more years, and that it was traditionally served after dinner. This information couldn’t have been easily and quickly assembled pre-Internet!

I’ve got two critical Federal Express packages on the way as I write this. One has my Passport and a Visa I’ll need very soon, and the other contains perishable food. I can very easily and quickly check their status with a quick click of my mouse.

Friends of mine are pursuing an international adoption. The amount of information available online is simply mind-boggling. Since the same information is available from multiple sources, it’s easy to confirm the validity of most information.

I just bought my wife a minivan. When we went to the car dealer, we knew what they paid for the van, we knew the available options, we actually knew more than the salesperson. When my wife checked a second dealer, she could very quickly determine he was the kind of scum that gives car dealers their bad name!

Cell Phones: I’m not going to pretend I love cell phones. I don’t love phones at all. Although sometimes I feel like I love my laptop, a phone is just a tool, and often times a slightly annoying one. But I must admit, my cell phone is very useful and certainly improves my productivity.

I can be in touch with business colleagues when I’m not in the office. I can answer the phone when fishing, going for a bike ride, or working out in gym and no one knows the difference or cares. This certainly increases my availability, and since I often chose to take off part of the day and work late at night, it is a non-disruptive way to increase my life balance since most of clients work standard business hours.
I’m always available. There might be an emergency, or my wife might want me to pick up a pizza or gallon of milk on the way home. A couple weeks ago an old friend from Europe I hadn’t seen in years was stranded in the Boston airport. He didn’t find me at my home number, but my wife gave him my cell number and we got together for dinner and had a great time.
Like most Americans, I spend a lot of time driving. Both to and from the office as well as client’s sites. Ten years ago driving was basically wasted time. Now I’m typically on the phone and productive while driving. I show up at the office ready to work, not ready to “catch up” on phone calls.
I travel for work a lot and it’s great to have ONE phone number that works almost everywhere. If someone wants to talk to me, they rarely care if I’m home, in Kalamazoo, or in Albuquerque. Unfortunately due to different standards, US Cell phones don’t work in most other countries. When I was in Hong Kong and Singapore often, I had two phone numbers: North America and Asia-Pacific. That was still much more efficient than using phone numbers tied to physical locations.

I’ve briefly mentioned three somewhat obvious “killer applications” of technology that have changed most people’s lives for the better. It would be easy to think of more – for example, medical advances immediately come to mind.

I don’t think its possible to predict new killer apps. I don’t think anyone ever predicted the printing press, the cotton loom, gunpowder, nearly universal email, or their impacts. But we can be sure there will be more killer apps, and we will feel their impact.