Disruptive Technologies that make you go hmmmm

Two separate events in the past few days have made me consider disruptive technology and it's impacts. While fun for those standing on the sidelines it has to also be a terrifying event for those who are in the middle of what is being disrupted.

• Disruptive Tech 1: The iPhone
• Disruptive Tech 2: Google Apps

Disruptive Tech 1: The iPhone. Yes, the often referred to Apple foray into the cell phone business (in some cases referred to as the "Jesus Phone" it's PR is so big) is a great example of a disruptive technology. It is already wrecking havoc with phone manufacturers and not because it is the worlds best phone, but it is slightly off from today's phones. The NY Times put out a great article late Tuesday night as the phone was hitting the general population with the compelling headline "The iPhone matches most of it's hype". Gizmodo posted a good summary of "Finally Confirmed: What the iPhone doesn't have" [Songs as Ringtones • Games • Any flash support • Instant Messaging • Picture messages (MMS) • Video recording • Voice recognition or voice dialing • Wireless Bluetooth Stereo Streaming (A2DP) • One-size-fits-all headset jack (May have to buy an adapter for certain headphones) • 3G (EV-DO/HSDPA) • GPS • A real keyboard • Removable battery • Expandable Storage • Direct iTunes Music Store Access (Over Wi-Fi or EDGE)]

That's quite a list for something that is still going to change the phone world. It has a controlled UI and OS. You can't load things on it and Jobs has made no bones about confirming that will remain the case. But it has a paradigm changing interface, consolidates devices for those with iPods and Phones and PDAs, even smart phones. As eloquently stated by David Pogue in the times article "It’s substance; it’s style. It does things no phone has ever done before; it lacks features found even on the most basic phones."

Personally I am going to hold off getting one. I recently purchased an 8525 (YAY I get to skip my Blackberry across a lake) and I have been quite happy with it. (heck I have already customized the snot out of it and have my Yodeling cow ringer going) But the geek in me covets parts of the iPhone and I may end up with one when I next need a phone... when it uses the faster Edge network and apps to get to business email are actually available. In any case, the reactions from the "old school" cell phone makers is going to be a blast to watch.

Disruptive Tech 2: Google Applications. I have to admit that when Google first rolled these out I thought to myself "ok... that's nice... why do people even try to beat Microsoft in this space?" Well a quiet little post on the Google blog made a light bulb go off for me. Google isn't trying to hit Microsoft at the desktop (well not right away) they are hitting them squarely in the admin.In the blog post Google indicates how they are going to give free access to advanced features of the full Google office to schools. The standard package for individuals is free already but a Premier Edition, targeted at companies is also available for $50/user. Now the Education Edition also includes the ability to integrate with existing facilities, conference and resource scheduling and other premium services.

Educators want to educate. They don't want to run systems for email etc etc. Now, they can get email, integrated chat and other niceties for free. This is where giving it away starts to make sense. It's not just about giving it away to the individual consumer in hopes of pushing ads. It's about pushing it into corporations... wow, now that has to be a scary thought. As with the iPhone, it may not truly change the world, but the potential is there and it will be fun to watch. (By the way, although corporate email isn't available via the iPhone... if you use gmail you are good to go... hmmmm)