Google Chrome: What does it mean for payments?
I’ve been lax recently on blogging and updating my shared items feed (in the sidebar to the right) and for that I apologize…There are some exciting things happening from a messaging perspective at IP Commerce and I will be free to share more next week. However, I am now back to creating content (in this format) with a vengeance.
As I was sitting on a flight from Denver to Seattle today, I was browsing my feeds in Google Reader using the integrated offline mode (a feature of Gears) and It prompted me to consider Google Chrome and its impact on the payments market.
I’ve read suggestions that perhaps a bank branded browser could be created in a fashion similar to Chrome. (NOTE: Not a great idea in my opinion. I already have too many provider specific applications that require using/learning a new experience. A bank specific browser would likely languish unused in my applications folder).
So what was it that I found so intriguing about Chrome? How does it apply to payments?
I am using Google reader as a web app in Chrome. It is as simple as choosing "create shorcut" in the menu and a headless browser link is created on the desktop. It is, in fact, nearly identical to the experience of using the Mozilla Prism project but without the URL tweaking and instability I experienced with Prism.
The "trend" (if you will) that intrigues me is the assumption of connectivity. It is rare these days that I don’t have internet access. A combination of public and private wireless, tethered phone access, and integrated EVDO in the laptop means that I can get online whever I so desire. But this assumption hasn’t always been true…
Those of you who have spent time exploring payments trends know that the greatexst initial barrier to entry was telecommunications infrastructure. In fact, a whole industry was born just on providing dial connectivity in its varied forms (leased line, point-to-point, frame, etc). Now, however, connectivity can typically be assumed and is much cheaper. The connectivity takes many forms (broadband, wireless, integrated WWAN, satellite) but is no longer the first question asked in a payments software sale.
(Another aside, If I never have to worry about interlata fees when deploying a multi-state point-to-point frame WAN I will be a happy happy man.)
The “internet” is truly becoming infrastructure rather than a feature in the sales process. This assumption of connectivity means that the focus in the decision making process is integration into existing processes and simplicity. The one-size fits all approach is no longer tenable.
As I’ve posited in the past. Hardware eventually moves to software..
The “internet” is infrastructure. Connectivity is assumed. Business has changed as a result.
What’s your perspective? Agree? Disagree? Anything to add? Critiques?
The comment form is below. . .
September 9, 2008