What will mobile phones look like 10 years from now?

When Fast Company asked some people in the industry what mobile phones will look like 10 years from now, the first couple of answers seem to reinforce my gut feeling that the difference between main mobile devices and mobile accessories will evaporate entirely.

But Robert Fabricant went a step further:

“In 10 years, the phone won’t matter at all. We will have moved from a phone-based network to an account based network in which I can access all of my communications data from the cloud–from any phone or device that is convenient. The tight coupling of my information to specific piece of hardware will be eliminated, just like email has nothing to do with my PC anymore. This is not just the future for those of us in developed markets with access to corporate IT support and MobileMe. This is the future for the masses. There is a desperate need for broad-based access in developing markets that doesn’t require the ownership of a dedicated personal device. Services will allow someone to access their contacts, messaging and credit from any device, whether the phone belongs to their uncle or is a community phone. People will have multiple accounts. Employers will enable accounts as will local health workers so that people can access sensitive information related to HIV or TB without having to compromise the confidentiality of this information on a shared device. This revolution is starting right now with companies like MoVirtu.”

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