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Technology Convergence

Convergence has many different forms of meanings, but all convern a synergy.

Drivers of Convergence

Convergence combines technological improvements in processing power, and the adoption of common protocols and standards.

Rather than a meeting of divergent technologies, Convergence is really a take-over of all forms of media by one technology: digital computers. The form of these digital computers is morphing from our familiar destop platforms to overtake telephones, televisions, cellphones and other mobile devices.

As the ability of these digital devices to support multimedia content at lower and lower costs is a product of exponential progress in the processing power and memory of Integrated Circuit [IC], and the ability to increase the density of transistors on a single IC chip.

Common protocols and technical standards for data interchanges are predominantly driven by socio-economic process, not technology.

It depends largely upon the coordinated adoption of compatible technology platforms by a critical mass of producers and consumers. In turn, this adoption is affected by network and product life cycles.

Digital convergence brings together various media forms in a pathway of standardisation.

Disadvantages of Convergence

Convergence can have its downside.

Converged devices are often less functional and reliable than their component parts.
As consumers rely on a single device to suport a wider range of needs, breakdowns and problems become more likely, and more disruptive.
The greater the degree of convergence in a device, the more vulnerable consumers are to the failure of that device and face more complex user-interfaces.

Regardless, an ever-wider range of technologies are being converged into single multipurpose devices.

Next: Forms of Convergence