• by Hank Summy , July 10, 2014

Technology maturity will enable and has enabled humans to do more, enjoy more, and now live more.  This is nothing new, in and of itself, but when you combine the maturity of technology with experience and fashion we have finally arrived at the tipping point where we all can have our unique expectations satisfied.  

Experiences are defined by the expectations we have for that experience and really for the first time we are seeing technology enable experiences that satisfy those expectations.  We have all seen the movies, TV shows, and slick demos highlighting amazing gadgets, wearables, and holographic experiences that seamlessly interact with the actor or actress in a very valuable non-intrusive way, inevitably also creating a very hip fashion statement. 

Finally, we have traveled the technology maturity curve far enough to actually experience the reality of the conversion of high tech and fashion.  Google Glass meets Diane Von Furstenberg. Dr. Dre headphones meet Fendi Designs. You may not think Fitbits are fashionable but think again, they have replaced much more expensive wrist adornments in the name of tracking one’s fitness levels.  

Slate design’s hip looking sun exposure bracelets tell you when you better apply more sunscreen or take cover from the sun’s harmful rays.  Fashion and tech are everywhere and not just wearable forms either.  Look at Coin, the not yet released credit card consolidator that is sure to be a hip fashion statement when you pull out your wallet or purse to make that purchase and show the world how cool you really are.  Not even released yet, Coin has captured so much attention by combining hi-tech with utility and experience design they have totally funded their R&D through advanced purchases of the product.  I can’t wait to get mine. 

Every generation certainly must believe they are on the verge of miraculous invention enabled by technology.  Think aqueducts for the Greeks, manufacturing automation for automotive or the internet for liberating knowledge. But for the first time we have the utility and satisfaction of meaningful experiences that satisfy our extremely high expectations thanks to technology availing itself to the creative prowess and genius of great design minds.  

What is next?  Your Fitbit might take on the look of a charm bracelet where each charm is a new cool feature you want to enable like a GPS charm, a heart rate monitor charm, a glucose monitor charm.  Your new fashion designed china table setting might just tell you the nutritional value of what is being served.  You get the idea for sure, but this is certainly an evolution we will have a lot of fun watching, wearing, experiencing, and most certainly benefiting from in many aspects of our lives.  We are finally at that magical point of maturity where we can begin to extract the value promise from all the hard work our engineering pioneers only dreamt of only a decade ago.  

Maturity Matters!