Usability can no longer keep up with computing: The products are too complex, too pervasive, and too easy to build. And in our absence, users and engineers are beginning to take over the design process. Five trends demonstrate the growing gap between usability theory and commercial practice - the “new realities” of computing haven’t been truly embraced by the usability community. The trends are, at a minimum, making traditional usability more difficult, if not irrelevant in the new paradigm.