Samsung announced that it will be the first OEM/Printer manufacturer to be powered by Android. Let me repeat that because it’s freakin’ important: Samsung MFPs/Printers will be powered by ANDROID! Mind. BLOWN.
For those reading this thinking I’ve lost my mind or are wondering what the big deal is, allow me to elaborate.
1. Current printer/MFP touch-screens are all so 2009: Anybody reading this wish they could peel off the touch-screen from the office MFP or printer so you can take it home and show it off to your friends? I didn’t think so. I’m not going to name names here, because to some extent or another every OEM has difficulty at making touch screens people actually like to use. Anybody ever have to press an icon 6 times before it responds? How about the dreaded frozen screen that requires a cold-boot? Or the difficulty customizing workflows such as scan-to-cloud or complex file directories? Don’t get me wrong, these screens get better every year, but only marginally. These printer interfaces have become much more frustrating in the last couple of years because we all have iPads or Android tablets that we love. Most of the deficiencies of these interfaces come from the fact that the operating systems at their heart are proprietary. I work for a software company and it’s a full time job to make great stuff. If it’s not your full time job, why not use an industry standard that is the single fastest selling O/S on planet earth?
2. The fastest growing O/S on the planet is Android: I know, I know, those who love their iPhones will be fuming right now. I can’t wait to hear the comments. Blackberry users please don’t bother. Emotions aside, the fact is that our friends at Google are doing a pretty good job of taking over the world when it comes to thenew world of computing. An IDC study says that in Q4 of 2013 Android mobile operating systems had a whopping 78% of all users on planet earth. And the same study shows year over year growth at over 40% compared to iOS at only 6.7%. Nuff said.
3. Samsung is Android’s poster child: They produce more phablets and smartphones than any other provider. Me, I prefer the Moto X to the Samsung Galaxy class of smart phones, but I’m a minority. It only makes sense that they would start using Android on their printers. With the use of NFC technology people using Samsung smartphones can interact with their printers with the greatest of ease.
4. Printing from Desktops is going the way of the dodo. Desktop computers are going the way of the fax machine: Some people still use them but they don’t tell their friends about it. Oh heck, you got me, I’m typing on a desktop right now, but I’m 44 years old. The only thing my son wants to use the “family computer” for is playing online games. And you don’t tend to print a lot when you’re primary use for a desktop computer is as a “gaming rig”. Anybody with a 13 year old knows exactly what I’m talking about. The office is where the death of the desktop computer is happening fastest. Everybody I work with at Print Audit is using either a laptop or a tablet. Our “office” is a great place to meet and do group activities and bonding, but we’re just as comfortable working in a hotel lobby or WIFI enabled cafe.
The new Samsung printers are “NFC Pro” enabled which means you can print directly from any NFC enabled device. Both my ultrabook convertible tablet and smartphone are NFC enabled. Check your gear, yours probably is too (unless your using iOS). This means I don’t have to hit “send print”. I just sit my NFC enabled device on the printer and print. Or send to the cloud. Or copy. Right there at the device.
And just like a great infomercial I get to say “But wait: There’s more!” Samsung says(I haven’t tried it) that the printer will basically be a stand alone computer and you won’t even need to use a smartphone or tablet to print. If you are using a cloud storage or document management system you can select, preview, and edit right on the printer’s screen! I’m sure it has some “gotchas” but watch what a generation or two will do.
5. Maybe the next step is to be rid of the printer interface screen altogether:One day, mark my word, one day soon, you will be able to use your smartphone or tablet as your printer interface. Why have a cumbersome second screen to get used to when the one you carry around all day is the latest and greatest? And standardizing on Android will allow this to become a reality one day soon. One day soon you’ll walk up to the printer, drop your smartphone on the NFC pad and “voila”, the printers interface will magically appear on your personal device.
Other OEMs are coming up with their own incredible disconnects from the traditional printer architecture and most of the powerful innovations have nothing to do with the print head and everything to do with the computing intelligence. Who will be the next OEM to knock our socks off? Will it be HP? Xerox? Lexmark? Toshiba? Oki? etc.? Is there an innovation you’ve seen in the last 6 months that you think deserves some attention? Let me know in the comments section! Your insights and comments are welcome!
About the author: West McDonald is the VP of Business Development for Print Audit (www.printaudit.com) and the owner of FocusMPS (www.focusmps.com) . Reach out to get the latest posts from West by clicking the “Follow” link below.