

Ask HN:  When will the consumer electronic "fad" end? - mpg33

It seems like all the innovation or should i say attention (thanks apple) is focused on developing/buying smartphones, tablets and apps right now.<p>Doesn't anyone else feel like hummanity (consumers) should be focusing more on things like healthcare technology, clean energy technology and space exploration...
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anigbrowl
We can walk and chew gum at the same time. Smartphones and tablets are popular
because they deliver value, from realtime mapping to field sensing to
communications. Entertainment and consumption are only one use among many.

The consumer demand for these is causing the hardware to become commoditized,
and thus standardized and cheaper. That has huge benefits for the other fields
you mention, since the hardware is cheaper, more familiar to decision-makers,
and has a larger base of potential developers, testers, and collaborators. For
example, here's a story from a couple months ago about NASA experimenting with
Android phones for computing duties in mini-satellites:
[http://gigaom.com/mobile/google-in-space-nasa-powers-mini-
sa...](http://gigaom.com/mobile/google-in-space-nasa-powers-mini-satellites-
with-android-phones/)

~~~
mpg33
I see your point but let me pose the following question.

What if the demand for smartphones wasn't as strong over the last few years
and thus the technology didn't grow as fast... instead the demand for electric
vehicles was as strong as it has been for new smartphones over the past few
years and thus the technology had grown faster?

~~~
anigbrowl
It's swings and roundabouts. The success of mobile has indirectly accelerated
the development of self-driving cars (Google being a major player in this
emerging area), and I think such vehicles have enormous potential to reduce
orad accidents, fuel consumption, traffic, and all the ancillary waste that
goes with our existing car culture.

