XplanaZine

News came out yesterday that Sony is dropping its production line of Clié PDAs in the North American and European markets. While they will continue to sell the products in Asia, Sony has said that the market is changing and they need to study consumer behavior further before moving forward with their product line. Translation: PDAs are dying and Microsoft Smart Phones are winning. For that matter, cell phones in general are winning.

At the same time, Nokia is relaunching its weakly performing hybrid phone/gaming system, the N-Gage.

While the two are seemingly unrelated, they point to a technological convergence that champions the importance of “experience” for consumers. New camera phones, more gaming on phones, better communication options all point to an already-realized future — phones rule. And they rule because consumers want integrated experiences.

Instructors and students are consumers too, at least they were the last time I checked. And they want user experiences that are integrated, part of real life that matters and gives them real thinking and working skills that make a difference. I liken many traditional educational models to PDAs. I wonder if traditional institutions are able (like Sony) to take a step back and consider real consumer preferences.