Arthur C. Clarke Predicted the Future of Cell Phone Technology in 1976
Arthur C. Clarke, the man who brought us 2001: A Space Odyssey, knew a hell of a lot about how phone and internet technology would be used in the future. AT&T Tech Channel released an old 1976 interview with Clarke in which he gives a spot-on prediction of what communications will look like in the future, which is the future we are now living in. Not only was he a science fiction writer, but he conceived of the first concept for a communications satellite as a Bell Labs scientist.
“We're going to get devices which will enable us to send much more information to our friends. They're going to be able to see us, we're going to see them, we're going to exchange pictorial information, graphical information, data, books, and so forth.
“[The ideal communication device] would be a high-definition TV screen with a typewriter keyboard, and through this, you can exchange any type of information. Send messages to your friends ... they can wait, and when they get up, they can see what messages have come in the night.
“You can call in through this any information you might want: airline flights, the price of things at the supermarket, books you've always wanted to read, news you've selectively [chosen]. The machine will hunt and bring all this to you, selectively."
How amazing is it that he was able to see where the world was heading in terms of technology and communication way back then? I wasn't even born yet! He also went on to predict the death of newspapers, and the rise of people working remotely. You can watch the interview below, and be blown away by what he says.