Taking its cue from the launch of the Apple iPad, Commonwealth Bank of Australia is promoting a sleek and glossy future vision of banking in which consumers manage their finances from the surface of their kitchen table, and engage directly with their personal banker via fingerpint-protected mobile video conferencing.
Commonwealth Bank's 2013 Vision video shows a hi-tech future for consumer and business banking, in which customers use touch-enabled modern technology and virtual reality interfaces to remain connected with their bank.
Finextra verdict: While we're prepared to concede that the iPad may become as ubiquitous in consumer households as the iPod by 2013, the idea that we'll all be doing our banking over a personal Microsoft Surface-style coffee table seems faintly preposterous - as is the notion that any of today's legacy-impaired banks could be capable of delivering such a seamless user experience. Kudos to CBA for showing the potential of technology to radically redefine the banking experience, but the timeline/tagline seems a mite ambitious. 20/20 Vision anyone?