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Predicting trends is a notoriously tricky business. People are inherently unpredictable, and oftentimes what appears to be a sure thing turns out to be nothing but a red herring. There is obviously huge power in knowing what is coming and in being able to stay one step ahead of the game. The technology sector is cut-throat and fast moving. It is an industry that rewards those who can predict its future, while it mercilessly punishes those who can’t keep up.
Last month saw the 2018 addition of the annual CES trade show. It is at CES that consumers and industry observers get their first glimpses of the prototypes and innovations which will shape the industry into the coming year, and far beyond! This year’s CES show was no exception. Numerous big names from the world of tech demoed their latest innovations, and in doing so have given us our first glimpse of the near future of technological innovation.
Smarter Robots
Voice assistants are becoming an increasingly common sight in homes across America. They are a perfect illustration of how advanced our efforts at artificial intelligence are becoming. Combining this technology with the advances that companies like Somnox are making in the area of robotics is leading us towards human-like robots, which can interact with us in more realistic ways.
Augmented Reality
The world is still getting to grips with virtual reality, a technology which has numerous uses as both an entertainment and an educational tool. However, it is in augmented reality that the most exciting possibilities lie. Augmented reality adds a digital overlay to the real world and in doing so allows developers to create software that is immersive in a way that even virtual reality cannot match. An example of the potential mass appeal of AR technology can be seen in the smash hit game Pokémon Go, which adds Pokémon to the real world using the player’s smartphone.
With both virtual reality and augmented reality becoming increasingly popular, it is unsurprising that so many tech startups are exploring the opportunities that these technologies offer. If you are an aspiring technology entrepreneur, then check out this online MBA course from Northeastern University. Attending Northeastern University Online will earn students a degree that carries the same weight as those obtained by attending the university campus.
Laptop – Tablet Hybrids
The laptop as we know it is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. As touchscreens become more common, it was inevitable that the two technologies would be married together. We are fast approaching the point where a standard laptop features a detachable touchscreen, which behaves as a tablet when it isn’t docked. This trend has been building for the last few years but may well reach its climax this year.
It isn’t hard to see the appeal of these machines, as tablets have been trying to muscle in on laptop territory for a while now – and have been reasonably successful in doing so for many people. By combining both options into a single machine, manufacturers have been able to offer customers unparalleled functionality.
The technology industry is one of the hardest to predict the future of, often the trends that come to dominate are the ones quietly bubbling away in the background. The three trends above are just a very small selection of the many potential directions that technology might take in 2018.
