You could be forgiven for thinking not much happened in the world of tech in 2015, with the vast majority of developments coming in the guise of extensions or improvements to existing products such as tech wearables, drone technology, operating systems or smartphones.
The good news is this bodes well for tech developments in 2016. Below we theorise on some key developments and tech predictions for 2016.
A Greater Focus On Software
It is becoming harder and harder to make money on hardware, and 2016 brings with it projected declines in the tablet and PC market as well as a drop-off in the smartphone market. As a result, companies that have seen their income come primarily from hardware sales may find themselves struggling from 2016 onwards and with it will come more mergers such as the recent one between Dell and EMC.
The Death Of Traditional OS
iOS, Windows and Android have been the very backbone on which the tech industry has been built over the past few decades but if we’ve learned one thing it’s that nothing last forever.
In households across the world, more and more consumers seem to own and operate multiple devices with a range of operating systems – from their Apple Watch to their Samsung Smart TV to their Android smartphone – and for this reasons we foresee a consolidation of this into something akin to platform-esque software to deliver comprehensive services people want from a device.
[tweetthis]#Households operate multiple devices with a range of #operatingsystems and we foresee a #consolidation of this into something akin to platform-esque #software[/tweetthis]
While this isn’t something we expect to happen overnight, we foresee big companies such as Google, Apple and Amazon making strides in this area in 2016,
Driver Assistance Will Grow In Importance
The leaps and bounds being made by automobile manufacturers over recent years has been impressive to say the least. Everything from innovations in electric cars to moves towards driver-automation has seen the world of the automobile move slowly from science fiction to science fact.
While these innovations continue to be explored, the more tangible innovations have been in driver-assistance systems that can help with automatic breaking, lane-departures, and a variety of safety benefits. These improvements continue to grow at an impressive rate and we see 2016 as another great leap forward.
Wearables Will Grow In Business
While wearables were a hot topic last year, they didn’t make as big of an impact as many insiders had predicted. The Apple Watch had a reasonable amount of success but compared to other wearable tech such as Fitbit it paled in comparison and didn’t take off to the extent that had been predicted.
[tweetthis]From replacing ID cards and fingerprint ID readers to providing a way to log in to work devices and increased security, #ITcosts could be drastically cut by implementing #wearabletech in the #workplace[/tweetthis]
The success of Fitbit provides part of the challenge of the wearable market – as a result of its success, many people view them as nothing more than a fitness accessory that can’t be used day-to-day. But this could be about to change this year as companies look to wearables as an ideal way of enhancing the workplace.
From replacing ID cards and fingerprint ID readers to providing a way to log in to work devices and increased security, IT costs could be drastically cut by implementing wearable tech in the workplace. This is on top of further tracking opportunities monitoring activity and wellbeing of employees which could reduce insurance.
Are their any tech predictions for 2016 which you foresee? Let us know!
