* Standardization needed in power supplies
Forget about converging voice and data infrastructure. If you really want to increase productivity, let’s talk about power supplies for your various communications devices.
Years ago, we reached a point that we had at least a bit of standardization on the power coming out of the wall. There’s a good chance that depending on the area of the world you’re traveling in, your voltage is going to be either 110 volts or 220 volts AC. All you need to make you devices work appropriately is an adapter. In fact, many power supplies for electronic equipment adapt to the common voltages and frequencies, so that all you need is a physical connector that’s appropriate for the country in which you’re traveling.
That said, there seems to be a great conspiracy to make the physical connector on the other end of the cord – where it attaches to the cell phone or notebook computer – unique for every device. Over the years, for instance, Steve has gone through at least six to eight generations of laptop/notebook computers. Of these, to date only one – a Toshiba from almost 10 years ago – had a “normal” power supply built into the computer so that all you needed to plug it into the wall was a generic power cord. And every last one of them had a different size/shape/voltage connection to the PC.
Instead, everything comes with a custom “brick” power supply. The same holds for cell phones and PDAs. Why?
At least in the case of notebooks, we believe that weight is a primary factor for many people in choosing a notebook. And there’s a reason the power supply is called a brick. It can add considerably to the weight of the notebook. Making it a separate component is an easy way to make the notebook “lighter.”
The level of incompatibility was especially driven home for Steve a few weeks ago when he was on a quick trip to MPLScon. In the usual rush to get out the door, horror of horrors, he left the power supply for his notebook behind. Ever try to find a generic power supply for a HP Pavilion ZT3000 on an overnight trip to lower Manhattan? Not exactly a trivial problem – even in a conference room filled with notebook computers.
The same goes for cell phones. New cell phone? New power supply – both for the wall and for the car.
Finally, we’re just starting to see some specialty devices from companies like APC, Belkin, and Targus that will adapt to multiple computers. But you still have to check very carefully to ensure that the device you choose supports your particular notebook, cell phone and/or PDA. The good news, though, is that we’re starting to see some of these devices that will charge a cell phone, a PDA, and a notebook simultaneously. But finding one that supports your exact combination will still require considerable research.
