UK Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Iain Duncan Smith, has challenged technology companies to make computers and other internet-enabled devices easier to use in a bid to get more people online.
The comments were made in a speech at the Digital Unite Silver Surfer Awards, and reflect a belief that it’s the complexity of technology that’s keeping many of the UK’s pensioners from getting online.
The Telegraph quotes Duncan Smith criticising technology companies, saying that they ‘sometimes assume that everyone out there is expert at computer use’. He also encourages tech companies and service providers ‘to look at the potential marketplace for better and easier to use equipment’.
It's a fair point too. According to the Telegraph, of the 9 million Britons who aren’t yet online, 6.4 million of them are over 65 - a potentially lucrative market for the first company to crack the OAP-friendly PC.
Do you think technology should be made simpler for the masses, or are you happy doing the odd spot of troubleshooting for your non-technical family members? Let us know your thoughts in the forums.
The comments were made in a speech at the Digital Unite Silver Surfer Awards, and reflect a belief that it’s the complexity of technology that’s keeping many of the UK’s pensioners from getting online.
The Telegraph quotes Duncan Smith criticising technology companies, saying that they ‘sometimes assume that everyone out there is expert at computer use’. He also encourages tech companies and service providers ‘to look at the potential marketplace for better and easier to use equipment’.
It's a fair point too. According to the Telegraph, of the 9 million Britons who aren’t yet online, 6.4 million of them are over 65 - a potentially lucrative market for the first company to crack the OAP-friendly PC.
Do you think technology should be made simpler for the masses, or are you happy doing the odd spot of troubleshooting for your non-technical family members? Let us know your thoughts in the forums.
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