1. Consumers will come to expect Smart TV capabilities
In my original post, I speculated that we may see the launch of
Apple’s much-anticipated iTV as early as summer 2014. Although there has
been no official word from Apple on this product, many experts believe
it’s only a matter of time before Apple makes the move into the Smart TV
market.
In an interview with his biographer, Steve Jobs was quoted as saying
he finally “cracked the code” for breaking into the TV market; and this
is perhaps where rumors of the so-called iTV originated. He said, “
I’d
like to create an integrated television set that is completely easy to
use. It would be seamlessly synced with all of your devices and with
iCloud. No longer would users have to fiddle with complex remotes for
DVD players and cable channels. It will have the simplest use interface
you could imagine.”
Many are now speculating, however, that this new product will be a
seriously upgraded version of Apple TV, rather than a stand-alone smart
TV. In fact, when biographer Walter Isaacson was asked (after Jobs’
passing) how close Apple was to developing a smart TV, he
replied, “
They
weren’t close at all. He told me it was very theoretical. These were
theoretical things they were thinking about in the future.”
In any case, smart TVs continue to dominate the marketplace. According to recent
research
by Parks Associates, smart TV sales show no sign of slowing down; in
fact, according to the report, over 1/3 of American broadband households
now own a smart TV, and nearly two-thirds of people shopping for a
flat-panel TV in 2014 are purchasing smart. They also found that among
smart TV sales, Samsung is leading the pack.
2. Smart watches will become ‘smarter’
The concept of smart watches still appears to be one on which people are highly divided. According to
research
by News Republic, consumers worldwide appear to be split evenly when it
comes to the desire to wear one (although respondents from Spain came
in highest with 7 out of every 10 being pro-smart watch).
Earlier this year, Google got in on the smart watch game by announcing its foray into wearable technology, which they’ve named ‘
Android Wear’.
The software, a completely mobile version of Android’s operating
system, will be incorporated into smart watches which will be offered by
various big brands.
The watches (which are currently only available to the public by
pre-order) will allow users access via voice control (“OK Google”),
along with all the features you’d expect, like email and text. Health
and fitness features are also incorporated; these will be particularly
useful for watches with built-in pedometers and heart rate monitors.
Apple is also
rumored to be on the brink
of announcing its “iWatch,” a smart watch which will run iOS and
facilitate phone calls, email, Internet browsing, and texting. Rumors
are that it will also be voice-controlled, and may be announced in early
September 2014.
3. Google Glass will still be in “wait and see” mode
As predicted, Google Glass still hasn’t hit the market, although it’s
expected you should be able to pick up a the smart glass sometime later
this year or early in 2015. Opinions are still split on whether the
technology will ever be truly useful and adopted into the mainstream.
Up until now, the glasses have only been available to product testers
at a cost of around $1,500 per unit. According to Google, the price tag
will be lower once it’s released to the general public.
Google isn’t the only one with the smart glass technology, however; it has been
rumored that Samsung will be releasing its own version – known as ‘Gear Glass’ – as early as this September.
4. Other applications and uses for Apple’s TouchID will emerge
In my previous article, I predicted that Apple’s TouchID
technology would expand access so it could be used in other products –
not just the iPhone. At WWDC2014, Apple’s Developers Conference, it was
announced that TouchID technology would be available to all developers.
AgileBits (developer of the
popular 1Password app) is already taking advantage of this by using
TouchID to allow users to unlock the app, as well as to log in to third
party apps. This feature will be part of its update for iOS 8. Of
course, we’ll have to wait a couple months to access these features, as
the release of iOS8 is currently only available in beta to developers.
5. Xbox One and PS4 will blur the lines between entertainment and video gaming
Sales of the Xbox One and PS4 continue to grow, especially since
Microsoft lowered the price of the Xbox One to match the price of the
PS4. While some originally criticized the fact that the Xbox One would
need to have a constant Internet connection to function, this turned out
not to be the case when Microsoft rescinded that requirement.
Rather than the simple gaming systems of yesteryear, these offer so
much more: Voice control, program guide, universal remote, and an
emphasis on social game play. These features contribute to making these
systems the complete home entertainment hub many had predicted.
According to Brittney Brombacher, video game journalist and expert from
BlondeNerd.com,
“I’m seeing families buying Xbox One and PS4 and using them not only
for playing family games, but also to provide entertainment for family
nights in general. Kids, moms, and grandmas alike can enjoy these
systems for much more than just video games. These systems are
definitely ringing in a new generation of entertainment.”
6. 3D Printing will begin to revolutionize production
I predicted that the rise in popularity, along with the drop in
pricing of 3D printers would move product production closer to home. The
recent opening of retail store
Normal
shows just how on point this prediction was. The company, which produces
custom 3D printed earphones, will allow consumers to upload pictures of
their ears (or have pictures taken in-store), and then receive
custom-fitted earphones within 48 hours.
It’s not only retailers who are utilizing the technology, however:
since the debut of the world’s first 3D food printer, the US Army is in
the initial stages of making plans to use the technology for producing
food for its troops. 3D food printers are already being used overseas to
print food for the residents of retirement communities: printing food
that looks and tastes like food, but has the consistency of puree and
thus decreases the choking risk.
Amazing stuff!
7. The movement toward natural language search will make search more accurate and intuitive
I predicted last year that spoken, natural language search – such as
‘Where’s the closest café’ – would continue to overtake keyword-based,
typed searches like ‘café Seattle’.
However,
according
to Google’s director of engineering, Ray Kurzweil, we are only seeing
the beginning of how computers (and Google) will eventually see and
understand content: “[M]y project is ultimately to base search on
really understanding what the language means. When you write an article
you’re not creating an interesting collection of words. You have
something to say and Google is devoted to intelligently organising and
processing the world’s information..
