IBM visionary predicts rise of the Wireless Web

The next generation of Internet access devices will be many and varied, but wireless is where the future lies, according to IBM visionary, Dr John Karidis.

Rather than using a single portable unit for Web access, Karidis believes people will use a variety of devices, and there will be a continued demand for different machines for different uses. However, despite the continued proliferation of multiple platforms, he claims IT directors should still be looking at wireless mobile data access as the future for their organisations.

In an exclusive video interview with Silicon.com, he said: "I think the whole area of wireless access to data is ready to take off - it's been ready for many years and is still ready to take off now."

He added: "One of the difficult challenges of the technology business is having to look at things early enough so you don't miss them but sometimes they take a while to take off. But wireless access to data; particularly wireless access to all the information you need to run your business, can really change the way that people work and communicate."

Karidis also believes Europe is better placed to exploit these opportunities than the US, because of a general acceptance of the GSM standard for mobile phones.

Despite these possibilities, Karidis believes the essential outline of laptop and PC machines will remain the same, although he believes these changes - particularly in regard to wireless technology - will nurture the idea that work is no longer geographically determined.

The John Karidis interview can been seen in the Desktop Strategies Channel.