Most of the talk nowadays is around fast networks - gigabit LANs, fast broadband, 3G data. And it's fair to say that he quicker we can get the data to our front door, the more functionality is available to us, and the more possibilities it opens up. Anyone fancy live TV over he Internet? Well, it's here! Anyone fancy software downloads via the net, or cloud syncing of large mounts of data? All here, today, ready for you to take advantage of.
But what about the low bandwidth connections we are often left with? Think they are a thing of the past? Think that it's only people in remote areas of the country, or those with older phones? Nope even those of us with posh iPhones and androids suffer from slow networks. I'm typing this on the train and my network connection is terrible. I was trying to get a connection from the office in the centre of London the other day too and it was awful. Why? Well, I was in the middle of the building with about 2ft if concrete between my phone and the outside world!
So what does his mean? I think it means that there are plenty of us on slow network connections even in this day and age. And our experience is often not considered. Take, for example trying to load the Apple 'App Store' app on a slow network connection. You are presented with a blank screen, shortly followed by a spinning icon which simply says 'loading'. You try again - same story. Try another app - a slightly different experience, but still unrewarding and often disjointed compared with the WLAN-based experience.
The message? Don't assume bandwidth - it's not always there!
Marc Pinder - Delivering IT Application Services for a healthcare and insurance company. And putting the world to rights right here.
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