This month’s online issue has three articles worth reading. It is a free registration.
These are the points that caught my eye:
For the first time in history, elders are an important market for high-tech products and services, and will be early adopters of new technology.They won't usurp businesses or young adults – two markets that high-tech companies are used to serving – but elders will be a big enough segment to have a noticeable impact.
Older people will be a critical force behind improvements in user interface design. For example: one of the fastest-growing segments of the auto market is female drivers over 65. Auto companies are now scrambling to figure out how to make cars that inexperienced drivers with poor vision and slower reflexes can drive safely.
In the future, everything from cell phones to computers will be redesigned for users with limited manual dexterity, poorer eyesight, and hearing.
Older people will drive innovation and market growth in assistive technologies – everything from PDAs to hearing aids to medical implants. The assistive technologies market is already growing, but it'll explode as boomers retire
Older people, especially the group that gerontologists call the "oldest old," people in their 80s – will also be a big market for pervasive computing. Intel, MIT, and other research centers are working on sensor-rich environments that can monitor their inhabitants, helping people remember to complete tasks and watching for sudden behavioral or physical changes.
In their desire to stay healthy, elders will view almost all of their consumption choices through the lens of health. Health considerations won't be confined to diet or medical regimens: they'll influence choices in everything from clothing to housing. Because aging baby boomers will be such a big market, many companies will find that it's cheaper to redesign their entire product lines for older users than to create special versions for the elderly.
Dick Stroud: www.20plus30.com
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