Whether using your GPS-enabled app to get around, keeping in touch with friends and family, or surfing the web, the average consumer circa 2022 is quite dependent on their smartphone. According to Nokia, however, the device most central to our daily lives may one day be a thing of the past as the tech giant believes the metaverse will eventually replace smartphones.
“Our belief is that this device will be overtaken by a metaverse experience in the second half of the decade,” says Nishant Batra, chief of strategy and technology.
Nokia company has grown over the years, changing focus from its ‘3310’ mobile phone roots, becoming a powerful tech service that powers seven of the U.S.’s major electric grids. The Finnish company predicts that 6G will usher in advanced technologies like biosensors, computer vision and digital twins by 2030.
While such technologies do exist, they are still in their infancy. Of course, this evolution of the internet will create new entry points for hackers. Luckily Nokia is preparing for this at its cybersecurity lab in Coppell, Texas, which launched in May.
Nokia feels innovations inspired by metaverse tech will offer businesses growth opportunities. As an example, Batra mentions how aerospace companies are developing fuselages and engines within virtual reality to accurately simulate flight. He claims that many high-profile companies, including Nokia, already have as much of a presence in virtual reality as they do in actual reality.
The company believes the public interest in augmented reality devices is high; however, affordability and ease of use are key to metaverse devices taking off.
“Widespread adoption of the technology from both corporations and consumers will be critical for it to really take off, and this will also depend on the availability of affordable, ergonomic, wirelessly connected VR and AR devices,” added Batra.
//H2 The First Metaverse Phone
While Nokia’s vision for the future is still a ways off, luxury mobile phone brand Vertu has announced the first Web3 phone. Dubbed the Metavertu, the device will allow users to turn photos and videos they take into NFTs with the click of a button.
Jack Brassell is a freelance journalist and aspiring novelist. Jack is a self-proclaimed nerd with a lifelong passion for storytelling. As an author, Jack writes mostly horror and young adult fantasy. Also an avid gamer, she works as the lead news editor at Hardcore Droid. When she isn't writing or playing games, she can often be found binge-watching Parks & Rec or The Office, proudly considering herself to be a cross between Leslie Knope and Pam Beasley.
