The 21st century with ubiquitous internet access has in my mind brought us four main categories of Personal Screen Media ( PSM).  When I think personal, I feel that with the growth of social media and the ability to be always connected to the internet, in many ways all screens will become somewhat personal as when you log-in or connect the interface and experience begins to optimize for that particular user.   They will not only have the ability to communicate and share with their community, but have channels of personal media consumption and privacy.   We may not think of a TV or a Decktop PC  as personal, but when a user may log-in, the experience and layout has morphed for that user.  Multiple people may access that device, but there definitely will be the growth of customized interfaces like we have seen especially in the PC world.  Other devices such as smartphones, ebooks and laptops are even more personal as usually they are occupied by only one user.

I have been thinking a lot these days about the different categories of media. Even though, I might see this different 6 months from now, at this juncture  for me it appears that there are really these basic four main areas of convergence and growth.   Although many people have classified the iPad as a completely new category, it is an entertainment and multimedia device at its core for consuming  mainly ” New Media” .  A lot of the creative input going into applications and content is coming from an entirely new exciting creative perspective.  We are seeing the same thing happening in parallel with Smart Phones….. growing rapidly to millions of Applications, crushing the portable game devices  and becoming your trusted assistant.

With Smart Phones we see this converge  quite rapidly with Navigation devices, portable game consoles, Music devices, etc…. Each category in many ways leads to a variety of deep differentiated categories  as products  simplify or expand with their own unique targets for price point and focus on certain types of media linking to the internet.

1) Personal Computer ( PC);   Laptop, Desktop computer

2) iTelevision; Large Screen TV’s, game consoles, Entertainment Systems

Google TV’s…..

3) Multimedia Computers; Smart Phones and Tablets

* We might say there is another category that is developed off of this as simpler more focused vertical products, such as portable game devices, navigation systems, music players, accessories, and other forms of entertainment devices.  These are the main devices for convergence today as they are growing as our wallet, our time piece, our portable map and our with our  engagement  loyalty programs.

4) eBooks;  Kindles, etc..

…. so when we are thinking of how many devices do you need to carry or have it is clear that with these 4 categories you are in a good position to consume all media.   Old and New, Fixed or Mobile.