It’s 2015 and the predictions are in from Soap (soapcreative.com).  The folks at Soap Creative give a tongue in cheek glimpse into the future with brash predictions that seem irrational but tend to contain at least a grain of truth.  A few of their predictions touch on things in the digital signage peripheral.  In the “hot” category: NFC Payments, 3D printing, and Machine Learning. In the “not” category: Google Glass, 3D TVs, and dedicated servers.  
 
Funny and entertaining predictions from the “Soap” report that may (or may not) have digital signage implications:

•     Somehow, “Hashtags” will still be in. Many campaigns will feature nothing but hashtags.  
•     “Being in the moment’ has been replaced by ‘being captured being in the moment.”
•     Exaggerated, Buzzfeed style headlines will take over all forms of journalism.
•     Publishers will start measuring (and charging) for “cost per laugh”, “smile to frown ratio” and “stopped looking at their phone to look at TV” metrics.
•     E ink will open a new frontier in personalization and digital retailing.  Ha.  Is that potentially the future of digital signage? Clothing with changeable digital artwork?  
•     The Tinderization of Everything. . . So look for the Tinder of restaurants, the Airbnb of pets, the Uber of childcare.  Try it yourself with The [start-up] of [Industry].  
•     Think the Jetsons with food science. . . you will be able to design your own cat food for example.  What other “food science” options will come from the current trend toward Nespresso, Keurig, and other food dispensing technologies?

Implications of Soap’s 2015 Trend Predictions for Digital Signage

While Soapcreative.com gives a humorous look at the trends and technologies of the moment, there are some great tidbits to consider when working with interactive digital signage and the vast opportunities still on the horizon.  Digital signage message and content are impacted by some of the “predictions”, and yet other predictions provide food for thought on digital signage methods that could be changing and improving.  What metric could shift to include digital signage views and interactions; should something other than views and clicks be our metric of choice?  How could the “Tinderization of Everything” apply to digital signage; for example, what is the “Subway Hair Ad of Food Signage”?  Is there an opportunity to integrate 3D printing or NFC readers with the interactive content and activities available for digital signage?

Finally, with the ever present and discussed “internet of things” and “omnichannel” everything, where does digital signage fit and how can we leverage the trend to benefit us?

Some answers can be found by focusing on the “interactive” part of digital signage, looking at how people interact and how new technologies can be leveraged.  Other answers are in the content being delivered, and keeping one eye towards mixing and matching content with trends.  While not every campaign or situation is suited for the funny and somewhat crazy predictions from Soap, we should all be giving a nod toward the outrageous as we look to create interesting, relevant, and impactful interactive digital signage for our clients.  

Windows entered the tablet market in 2002, but it was only in 2010 that tablets became a hot commodity. Now, flash forward a few more years: The tablet lockdown market has moved from infancy to toddlerhood, and many self-service firms find themselves struggling to choose between iOS, Windows and Android tablet solutions.

We reached out to an external IT professional for his take on the iOS, Windows, and Android tablet debate. Here are some thoughts from Bryce Katz, owner of Katz Computer Consulting, in Marshall, Michigan.

Pointing out the Pros

Android Pros

Lots of options, lots of price points. Some 10" Android devices can be purchased for as low as $150.
More support for MDM and use in the enterprise.
Customizable, i.e. ROMs. If you're willing to play, you can do some amazing things with Android devices.

iPad Pros

Sleek design, and nearly everyone knows how they work. The interfaces are extremely intuitive; put and iPad in front of a 2 year old, and they'll be working away in no time flat.
Extensive app library. Odds are good that if the app exists, they'll have it for iPad.

Windows Pros

Tight integration with Windows Server. Windows tablets can be managed using standard Group Policy settings (great if you need the device to run exe applications).Familiar interface. Generally, people know how Windows works.
No need to re-purchase applications. Windows desktop applications will run just fine, assuming you're not running a device with an ARM CPU.

Identifying the Cons

Android Cons

Lots of options, a variety of price points. Quality, however, is all over the map, and while you can get a 10" Android tablet for $150, I'm not sure I'd recommend it. (Says the guy about to pilot a $150 10" tablet for a manufacturing application; I'll let you know how it goes...) You'll need to do a lot of research and try to demo a few devices before settling on a given device.
Not as many apps as Apple.

iPad Cons

Cost. They are not cheap.
Not exactly enterprise-friendly. Locking them down is hard.
Apple's Volume Purchase Program (VPP) is somewhat complicated and, in my opinion, annoying to setup.

Windows Cons

Confusion in models. Purchasers need to be very, very careful. Most of the Windows RT units are now, thankfully, old tech now that the 3rd generation of Windows tablets are on the market. Still, you need to pay attention. If you see a great "deal" on Windows tablets, you may be looking at 1st gen Windows RT units. Windows RT was a straight-up consumer OS and is entirely inappropriate for institutional use.

Cost. Windows tablets tend to be the most expensive of the three options (Android, iPad, Windows). This is mostly because the 3rd gen models are taking aim as laptop replacements for business users. However, this cost can come with hidden benefits, like reducing the need for new application purchases.

Disliked interface. Many people have a dislike for the Modern UI. Depending on the actual use, this may or may not be an issue.
Battery life. Windows tablets (particularly the Surface line) tend to have poor battery life compared to iPads and Android devices.

Plus, consider these additional points from KioWare president Jim Kruper:

    Environmentally, Windows still has a significant lead with regard to durability. Try to find an Android device suitable for a manufacturing environment and compare against Windows.  Windows wins. iPad hardware is typicallyeven more fragile and is clearly made for consumer not self-service usage.

    Hardware peripherals. Android and iOS are much more limited than Windows with regard to the plethora of hardware products supported: fingerprint scanners, RFID band printers, card dispensers, bill acceptors, sensing mats, and more.  Android and iOS have some, but not all, of these integrations.

Ultimately, your intended usage, deployment, audience, budget, and infrastructure will determine which device makes the most sense for your kiosk project.

Note: KioWare strongly supports the use of Windows and Android devices for public access/self service or purposed device lockdown solutions.