A consortium of companies, called the "Wi-Fi Alliance," is seeking to turn lots of consumer electronics products into micro hotspots to boost available WiFi and make it a more reliable and ubiquitous way to get online. Right now spotty availability holds WiFi back. The alliance is promoting a new spec that offers "direct Wi-Fi connections between devices." The consortium includes small and large tech companies. Here's how the group's release explains the specification:
The specification, previously code-named "Wi-Fi peer-to-peer," can be implemented in any Wi-Fi device, from mobile phones, cameras, printers, and notebook computers, to human interface devices such as keyboards and headphones. Significantly, devices that have been certified to the new specification will also be able to create connections with hundreds of millions of Wi-Fi CERTIFIED legacy devices already in use. Devices will be able to make a one-to-one connection, or a group of several devices can connect simultaneously.
Seen in tandem with the rollout of WiMax (Clearwire) and LTE (Verizon, AT&T) expanded WiFi networks offer the promise of always available connectivity, which is what consumers increasingly want. The forthcoming barrage of eBook readers and tablets will mostly be WiFi enabled (if they don't have a carrier relationship, e.g., Kindle-Sprint). In addition, more non-phone, non-computer devices will emerge and be WiFi enabled (e.g., digital cameras, video camcorders). So there's a virtuous cycle/circle here: the more connected devices that promote WiFi coverage the more people will tend to buy such devices.
The promise of ubiquitous or nearly ubiquitous WiFi also means that consumer-users will be less dependent on mobile carriers. In such a situation someone might choose to buy an iPod Touch or a tablet rather than an iPhone with its expensive data plan for mobile Internet access. They might have a basic mobile phone instead of a smartphone in that case and rely on the other device for Internet access on the go. There are a variety of these scenarios that become possible if WiFi truly becomes an alternative, regular access paradigm in a way that it is not currently today.