History
Audience response systems have been keeping up with modern technology. Today’s audience response systems run on the same computer used by people everyday, wireless technology, infrared and radio frequency, faster processors, cheap storage memory, and widely available personnel computers. In comparison to today’s audience response systems, there has been an improvement from the oversized systems of the 1960s. Like some other computer technology, audience response systems originated in the military. Audience response systems were used in the Air Force for training purposes like to question the recruits. Unknowingly, audience response systems started to appear in universities such as Cornell and Stanford. The professors wanted to find out if the systems were effective and whether they would improve a student’s learning experience significantly. The technology then extended out to the community: higher education, secondary education, businesses, and conferences.

Trends
Audience response systems are not dominated by one company. Some companies would sell both hardware and software. Some companies only sell either hardware or software. Some companies only provide equipment to rent. There are different opinions when buying an audience response system. Even thought ARS companies are not standardized, there are trends that are important to know.
· Easy to get around with- When a professor or businessperson uses an ARS for a Powerpoint presentation and needs to move between class to class in a matter of minutes, the size of an ARS can make it easier.
· Smaller keypads and bases- Over the past few years, the keypads became as small as a USB flash drive; also the bases have gotten smaller as well.
· Function Expansion- Year after year the keypad and software functions have improved.

Problems
Problems always have ways of making its way into a company and Audience Response Systems has its problems.
· No Standardization- Many computers are now standardized because of consumer demand: Mac applications can now work on a Microsoft machine. However, the ARS industry is still in debate on how to standardize their hardware and software. In some ways this is an advantage to retailers. With no standardization, the buyers have to stay with the ARS company they first bought from.
· Competition The ARS companies’ worst enemies are personal devices such as the Blackberry and other PDAs. These personal devices can create polling opportunities and presentations like the ARS with the help of Internet.

Future
As the computer world continues to grow, so will ARS. ARS has come far from the bulky systems sold 20 years ago. ARS companies expect a bright future ahead.
· Prices- In 1990, the prices of keypads were $20. In 2000, the prices were $15-$17. Today, prices are around $5. ARS companies believe keypad prices will continue to decrease every year.
· Internet- The Internet has unlimited possibilities of helping a company. ARS companies believe the Internet has the availability and reliability; plus, the Internet’s bandwidth is expanding.
· Elimination of paper- Everyday trees are being cut down to make tons of paper; however, using an ARS can eliminate paper to a certain extent. Some examples of elimination of paper: tests, quizzes, and attendance.