The highly successful launch of the Apple iPad represents another milestone on the road to a fully networked world involving ever increasing numbers of wired devices, accessed primarily on mobile platforms.
Although it has the field to itself at the moment, the revolutionary iPad will surely be followed by similar new-generation mobile devices that will be dependent on reliable connectivity to get the best out of them.
This is part of a trend dubbed "hyper-connectivity" by industry analysts and one that barring something catastrophic is now unstoppable.
Frost & Sullivan's senior consultant for mobility and the unwired experience, James Brehm, said we are "entering a period of time in which every device than can be connected will be connected to the internet and other devices".
Forecasts of just how many devices will be connected range from the tens of billions to one trillion in 15-20 years time.
According to IDC, an analyst company, there were more than 450 million mobile internet users worldwide in 2009, a number that is expected to more than double by the end of 2013.
Connectivity has already brought about huge changes in the way we work and play, even how we vote. Hyper-connectivity is likely to bring about further and deeper social changes in our lives.