Technology is consistently changing our lives. It happens so rapidly and seamlessly that we hardly notice. It wasn’t long ago that stores used a manual machine to make a carbon imprint of your credit card when you made a purchases. Those machines are nearly obsolete thanks to WiFi technology and tablets. A person can now purchase an attachment for their tablet that allows them to scan credit cards virtually anywhere.
Tablets have changed a lot more than our purchasing ease and mobility. Many people have fundamentally changed their businesses thanks to tablets. The following companies use tablets in such intriguing and innovative ways it might surprise you.
A high-end Italian restaurant in New York City called De Santos has given their entire wait staff iPad 2s. The staff uses them to take orders and even swipe your credit card after the meal. The reasoning is that this will reduce mistakes and increase efficiency.
Puma stores in Africa, Asia and Europe have installed iPad stations called The Creative Factory. At these stations customers can design sneakers and see other designs around from people around the globe as well as read about the other creators. Puma seeks to connect the world with active footwear.
At SHOPBOX, an addition to the DeKalb Market in Brooklyn, you won’t find a store or store clerks! What you will find is a shipping container with an iPad mounted on the side. Shoppers use the iPads to register then text the items they want to purchase to a number printed on the display glass. The items are then shipped to the shopper’s house. Talk about window-shopping!
As tablet technology improves, people will continue to come up with creative uses for it. How will innovation change the future? Will it eventually be “retro” to have human wait staff at restaurants? Will malls be done away with all together? Isaac Asimov said “The only constant is change” and this is glaringly true where technology is concerned. Advancements are made so quickly we hardly notice how drastically they change our lives. Usually these changes make our lives easier, so let’s relax, let it happen, and wait for our hovercrafts.
