Prolog

The telcos have been talking about their 3 screens since last year. Interestingly,  Microsoft recently has started articulating the 3 screens and a cloud as their strategy (PC, Cellphone and TV being the 3).  Let me go out on a limb and lay it down – Microsoft’s’ 3 Screen Strategy is Dead on Arrival.  Stay tuned.

Obviously, Mobile Phones Rule

The rapid rise of the mobile phone market with 4.1B units in use worldwide is a phenomenon that everyone in the tech world is familiar with. And in case you are still interested in PC stats, they are expected to hit 2B only in 2014.

Similarly, everyone will agree that  iPhone, RIM..  have shown the immense potential of the smart phone at the high end.  That makes it is easy to see why Microsoft and others would pick the 3rd screen as the mobile.

But are Mobile phones sufficient?

Not quite.  And this is mainly due to the newly emerging scenarios of usage:

1. Curl on the bed and read an e-book.

2. Share photos and/or videos from the most recent vacation with a friend.

3. Have a Skype video call with someone across the globe.

4. Check facebook/twitter updates

Combined with some traditional usage – browse the web,  type up a short document or a presentation. And maybe there are  few more simple scenarios, none of which fit the mobile phone form factor, especially when you consider doing the above over an extended period of time.

Judging from the reactions to  my previous post on PCs, i don’t think PCs (as well as Macs) can be effective as well, although technically they can do all of the above except possibly no.1. Not to mention the enormous learning curves of PCs/Macs for the average user who is not tech-savvy.

The 4th Screen

Clearly a new type of device that can do all of the above is warranted. Will it be the much anticipated Apple iTablet or iPad or whatever?   To me Time Magazine’s concept video, embedded below,  nails it (though it omits  a video camera and not knowing its weight).

The 5th, 6th, Nth Screens..

I was talking to Priya Raju and she said something very interesting and insightful – why don’t we analogize screens to the clock face showing time. Now,  time has become a feature of many devices  starting from a car to a microwave oven.  So why not we have a cloud-backed screen in more devices? Why restrict them to 3 or 4 screens?

Epilog

What do you think? Do you agree that Microsoft’s 3 screen strategy is flawed (the cloud part of it seems correct though) ? What is your vision for the future?

Notes & References:

1. Scoble has some great thoughts on how Chrome OS could be targeting a new ~100$ device.  He takes the example of a computer in the kitchen to look at recipes that could use Chrome OS. I don’t agree with Scoble. i don’t think anyone wouldn’t want something as complicated as a PC in the kitchen even if it sports Chrome OS.

2. Sergey Brin on Chrome OS & Android Convergence . Interesting thoughts on how the mobile and netbook markets are converging.

3. Although the Amazon Kindle is a great device. I found it a tad heavy, preventing the curling on the bed with a book scenario,  and limited in scope and function for a device at its price point.

4. I found the Time Inc concept video via this article.