Convergence and Divergence
On the one hand, the smartphone has become that all-in-one, Swiss army knife kind of device. It has a calendar, camera, music player, compass...and oh yeah, it can also be used to make calls! That's convergence for you. On the other hand, there's the PC/laptop whose functionality split into multiple devices, each dedicated for just one purpose. So there's the Kindle for reading; iPad for playing games and surfing; smart TV for watching movies and so on. That's divergence. These trends seem strange at first...since they are the opposites of each other. Until, that is, someone tells you the pattern behind what diverges and what converges. Here's how Ben Thompson put it: “The divergent effects of the iPhone and iPad make total sense when looked at from a human-centered perspective. The phone is often the only device you have when out-and-about, so the more capable the better; the iPad is usually used when stationary, when it’s more conceivable to ha...