The phrase "the more things change, the more they stay the same" has been on my mind lately. Computers have become such a part of our lives that we can’t imagine life without them. Just a few years ago it wasn’t uncommon to hear that Blackberrys called "Crack-berrys," referring to the addictive nature of having email readily accessible. Today we even have a thing called "Computer Addiction" that people can get treatment for.  The children coming of age in this era they are the most informational connected generation we have seen.  Considering the architecture changes, the changing expectations, and rate of adoption the future definitely has a more interactive and mobile look to it from a computing perspective.

I recently read where mobile devices have outsold traditional computers for the first time in the 4^th quarter of 2010. Apple has been reporting sales growth while companies like Microsoft, Intel, and other companies are reporting lower than expected returns for the same period. With certain product releases coming in 2011 the anticipation is the sales trend will only continue to grow the gap.  As we see the sales trends change and more companies trying to capitalize we look to anticipate its direction and build products viable for today’s market and tomorrows.

To anticipate the direction we can start by focusing on a brief history of the mobile devices. Consider that Microsoft was an early player in this market. Compaq iPaq’s, HP Jornada’s, and others were touted as Pocket PC’s. Toshiba had one of the first tablet PC’s I remember. It even had a built in camera but the unit was very heavy. Microsoft envisioned "smart devices" and for a while had produced marketing as such. I remember they envisioned the device could be replaced and your configuration auto-magically restored. They had great vision and they dominated the early market. But while they were an early endorser and participant in the mobile field a couple of miss-steps and lack of innovation later they were behind.

It’s arguable that widespread adoption started to change with the acceptance of the Blackberry. Users were getting email connecting in ways they really hadn’t before. It wasn’t long before next up were the expectation to be able to review attachments to email. Having the internet on a mobile device wasn’t far behind that and the expectations began to speed up.  Why? because the adoption rate improved. Users saw immediate value in the functionality of these devices. But devices had different purposes. Blackberry’s did email while pocket pc’s handled calendars and other basic functionality.  I remember at one point having so many devices I felt like a techno-nerd version of Batman. While this was going on Apple envisioned the iPhone. Apple developed the iPhone in quiet and when they released it changed the market.  The change was significant enough that the carrier they worked with to support the device was overwhelmed for a time with new customers. It seemed like overnight they met and exceeded user expectations, and made a giant leap forward. Others began to follow the trend.  

User interface expectations are certainly being affected by changing expectations. How long did companies toy with keyboards until the iPhone changed the game with the popularity of its touch interface? A touch interface for a mobile phone had not been accepted until then.  Apple tried to compensate for users comfort by adding "clicking" sounds to the iPhone. But the hardware wasn’t the only innovative aspect. They innovated software are delivery as well.

The layout of the Apps wasn’t entirely new. Icon short cuts on a desktop have been around in the Mac and Windows worlds for years but the operation or implementation around the apps was. Users were able to use the devices to quickly check what they deemed the most important things.   Another expectation is the speed that these devices are expected to operate at. Long load times are not acceptable.  In addition to load times connectivity has become a key factor as well, a key contributor to the onslaught of the battling ‘G’ advertisements and related devices.  

Delivery handled through iTunes and working directly with the Apple company remains the only way to deploy applications. With the combination of hardware, software and deployment the entire platform was innovative and users liked it.

With a great rate of adoption and renewed interest in the market other players have been working to be more competitive in this market. For example, the Droid and Microsoft’s Metro concepts are two emerging or re-emerging market competitors.  With all the various players history in some ways begins to repeat itself. As they have gained more market share and their sales increased as well technical complexities re-emerge.

We still have a familiar challenge though, remember the old Mac vs PC days? Well we are there with mobile. We see different operating systems, different carriers, lack of interoperability and different devices. Consider that Adobe’s flash won’t run on iPhones. These types of complexity have a strong feeling of déjà vu for some of us. Only now we have added the extra complexity of Different networks carry different devices and different operating systems.

The innovations in both the hardware and software will continue in the space Apple has defined for a while. We are also seeing a repeat of some of the same hardware and operating system issues that have plagued IT for years.  What is different is that the adoption rate is continuing to grow. Watching over the last several months I see more executives and other carrying tablet PCs to meetings instead of the traditional notepad.  

Innovative development on the mobile platform will remain costly in some respects. Developing for multiple operating systems and different devices presents many challenges. What’s different today is that there is more of a drive than in years past to build these solutions. There are and will be tools that enable development for devices as well as across multiple platforms. However, those tools will have limitations and it will be a challenge to truly innovate through them. While working in the native system means developing different code for the same app to work on the different systems. Architecting a solution in mobile has to take into account the various considerations. Companies have to decide if they want the expense of creating an innovative app for the mobile platform or just have an app for the platform. This has a significant cost difference especially if the app has to be deployed to multiple devices.  

As customers decide their goals and directions in the mobile space it will be important for architects to use the tools available to them. The use of design patterns and object oriented techniques will be of paramount importance going forward for the software side of solution.  Creating a scalable solution for the growing functionality needs of mobile users will be critical. Considering that the hardware of the PC has evolved at a much slower pace scalability will have additional challenges in the mobile platform.

Creating a scalable solution is more challenging with the frequent release of devices and the secrecy surrounding them. Many of the tools on a mobile device have been tools available on a traditional PC. Going forward the hardware is starting to move into truly new areas.  For example, talk of the iPhone 5 and the capability of it having Near Field Communication capabilities have been going on for months. Talk has already started about functionality of the iPhone 6. Architects will be able to help customers prepare for not only the next deployment but the one after that.

The mobile environment is a market that companies cannot continue to avoid as it has passed the tipping point of adoption. But those same companies have to realize where mobile is in it maturity. Companies will not be able to build an app, deploy it, and then forget it. These apps are living in an every changing world and will need maintenance to continue operating effectively.  The architectures supporting the apps and contained within the apps must be able to scale to meet these needs.

The mobile environment is changing frequently and stepping forward in leaps we haven’t seen in a while. Developing solutions for customers means considering all the factors and leading them to understand the environment. Bobby Knight is probably as polarizing a figure in college basketball as there is. For all the negative about him later in his career, he is regarded as a great teacher of the game. It’s one of those lessons that really apply here. He said, I am paraphrasing, "we have to focus, by focusing it allows us to notice trends, recognizing trends allows us to anticipate, and that leads to action."