Were you able to attend the CES conference in Las Vegas? It’s the largest tech conference in North America. Over 3,000 booths were represented, unveiling their inventions, hopes and dreams for 2016. Much of the anticipation dealt with expected tech trends for 2016. What are these trends?
Anybody over age 25 probably watched TV on the big, bulky color TVs (I’m too young to remember the black and white TV era). By the mid 2000s, consumers were switching to HDTV. Now, they want us to switch to HDR TV. ?Promoters swear by the color quality. Streaming companies like Netflix already promise to produce shows in HDR. But will retailers, and more importantly, consumers, be so quick to jump on the bandwagon? It took years for HDTV to be the standard. Then there’s VR, virtual reality goggles. These virtual reality headsets were a hit with the CES crowd. A few months from now, you can get an Oculus Rift for $500-$1,000. Can’t wait that long? You can get a Samsung Gear VR for as little as $100, or even a Google Cardboard for as little as $25. Wearable technology made a splash, and I’m not talking just talking about smart watches and fitness monitors. There are shoes that track the number of steps you’ve taken, and your motions. There’s even a belt that tells you when you’re gaining weight.
Some of these are good new trends. Some, like that weight gain belt, are very creepy. Other creepy trends include Google Glass, interactive mirror, a camera inside the refrigerator, and apps where you can spy on your spouse/mate. I bring this up because there comes a time where we have to decide whether to make the technology or let the technology make us. And I’m a little concerned with these virtual reality goggles as well. What if VR becomes so addictive, people can’t deal with RR; that’s real reality? What technology trends are you looking forward to this year?