The Internet is having a mid-life crisis: Having just turned 40, it’s starting to go 3D. The transition is still in its early stages, but champions of the cause say it’s both natural and inevitable, with mass adoption expected within a few years. 3D will make the Web more social, they say, and it will introduce powerful new ways for people in education, business and medicine to interact with content and with each other.
What is the 3D Internet? Think of it as a set of interconnected virtual worlds that users can visit to consume services, “teleporting” from one world to another. It uses many of the same basic technology components as the 2D Internet—a browser, search engine and servers, for example. But what sets it apart is the use of 3D computer graphics and, in many cases, avatars—which Pirkola says will make it more social than the 2D Web.
“The 2-D graphical user interface has reached its potential and it’s time to move on and conquer the 3-D world,” says Ala-Mursula.
Will the 3D Internet replace the 2D Internet? Pirkola says not, and predicts people will use 2D and 3D apps side by side based on need.