In 1999, Bill Gates (Bill Gates), a philanthropist and co-founder of Microsoft, predicted the impact of future technology on people's lives and ways of work in his book "the Speed of thinking" (Business@the Speed of Thought). Marcus Coyon (Markus Kirjonen) of the (Aalto University) School of Business at the University of Aalto listed Gates'"prophecy" on his blog. So far, they have basically come true.
On-line price comparison
Prophecy one: people will enjoy the price comparison service. People can compare the price of products through the website, so that they can easily find the cheapest products.
Consumers can now view product prices on sites such as Google (Google) and Amazon (Amazon). You can also view the fares of flights and hotels on platforms such as (Orbitz), (Trivago).
Mobile device
Prophecy two: wherever you are, people can use small devices to keep in touch and engage in e-commerce. They can also watch news on the device, check booked flights, get information from financial markets, and so on.
These "small devices" are today's smartphones, tablets and smartwatches. Users use these devices to make reservations, check the weather, news and stock prices.
Pay bills online, communicate with doctors
Prophecy three: people will pay bills over the Internet, manage personal assets and communicate online with doctors.
It is now true that people can pay bills online, view bank accounts using app, communicate with doctors via a portal, and make appointments to doctors using ZocDoc.
Virtual Assistant
Prophecy four: "personal assistant" will develop gradually. It intelligently connects and synchronizes all devices at home or in the office, allowing data exchange between devices. It receives, looks at e-mails or notifications, and provides the information you need. When you tell it the recipe, it automatically generates the seasoning and ingredients you need to buy. It can "inform" other devices of your shopping and schedule, allowing the device to automatically synchronize with you.
This may have been surprising in 1999, but now virtual assistants are providing real help to people's daily work and life. Intelligent assistants such as Apple's Siri, Amazon's Alexa, Microsoft's Cortana, and Google assistants can remind users of the events they record on their calendars and the necessities they need to buy, order products online for users, and so on.
When you're out, guard your home.
Prophecy five: devices can monitor homes and feed video back to users, which becomes commonplace. So that when you are not at home, if someone comes to visit, you can also know.
Now people can use cameras to monitor their homes so that they can know what's going on in their homes when they go out. If the smartphone's app is connected to the camera, it can alert users when someone enters the house.
Social media platform
Prophecy 6: personal friends and family sites will become commonplace, allowing people to chat through the site, plan activities, and so on.
This is what we are talking about now on social media. Such platforms continue to emerge, with more users now including Instagram,Snapchat, Facebook (Facebook), Twitter (Twitter) and Weibo guest (Tumblr).)
Targeted promotions and shopping propensity
Prophecy VII: when you book a trip, the software can advise on the travel schedule. It will provide you with activity advice, discounts, discounts and more favourable prices. And the device will have smart ads, because the device will be able to understand your shopping preferences and display ads tailored to your needs.
These targeted ads are now available everywhere, such as Google ads or Facebook ads. If you book a flight to the Bahamas, sites such as TripAdvisor and Expedia can recommend nearby tourist attractions, as well as advice on hotel reservations or vacation rentals.
On-line discussion
Prophecy eight: when watching sports on TV, you can discuss what's going on in live broadcast and vote for the winner in your heart.
The prophecy has come true. Now, when watching games such as the Super Bowl of American Football, you can use social media to discuss events and vote. Everyone talks about the latest details on Twitter. If you don't have a TV, you may rely on these updates to keep the game up to date. Online voting and betting can also allow people to participate while watching the game.
The Mall on TV
Prophecy 9: television broadcasts complement watching or listening to programs by adding links to relevant websites or content.
Almost all of the ads we see on TV these days contain links to the company's website, or give people an in-depth understanding of the labels that promote products.
On-line discussion
Prophecy X: urban and national residents can discuss issues of vital interest on the Internet, such as local politics, urban planning and security.
That's how online discussion zones or Facebook teams work.
Online community
Prophecy 11: residents in online communities are drawn from interest rather than geographical proximity.
This is how social media is classified today, such as fb groups, Tumblr blogs. On video website, people around the world can subscribe to their favorite videos, skateboards, makeup, cooking, etc.
[计] project management
Prophecy 12: when the project manager sets up a team, he can describe the project on the Internet, and there will be people who meet the requirements to apply for employment.
Nowadays, employees of application companies usually work online.
Online job search and recruitment
Prophecy 13: job seekers can note their interests, needs and professional skills online, and then apply online.
In the future, whether it's construction projects, film production or advertising, companies can bid for jobs. This makes it easy and efficient for companies that want to outsource jobs they are not familiar with, those that need related services, or those that are able to provide their services.
This is true of platforms such as LinkedIn,Indeed.com and Monster.com, where job seekers send resumes to recruiters. There are also websites that allow companies to contact freelancers directly.