As a tech company we often get asked what we think about the future will hold. Rather than the usual crystal ball rubbish, this is a post about some of the existing trends to watch out for, not just funky tech but things that make business sense and might succeed or surface from labs in the next 5 years (10 is too far out!).
3D, Blu-Ray, Hi-Definition and everything TV
Although 3D is awesome in the cinema (eg. Avatar) and it’d be fun to have at home you basically need a new TV or a new box below it and as most people have just got or are considering an HD TV this is likely to be a slow burner, not to mention the limited content.
The real frontier is mixing up a computer with a TV. So expect to see things like Network Assisted Storage (NAS) which can serve your music, video, etc onto your TV and around the house. Similarly wireless connections from the back of your desktop or laptop sharing video and your TV connecting to your network.
Of course to think TV will remain on your TV is already proving to be untrue with things like iPlayer but it still takes a certain level of technical knowledge to use, so expect to see on demand services getting simpler, easier to share amongst your devices, etc.
Battery Life & Power Adapters
It might sound dull, but manufacturers are working feaverishly to improve battery life. With the advent of lower power processors and screens (OLED), improved efficiency of solar cells, and the start of affordable versions of induction powering (see PowerMat) we might miss it but will definitely appreciate it.
With nearly all mobile manufacturers agreeing to using the mini-USB adapter things simpler (you can charge at anyone’s house) and become more eco-friendly (no need to make so many styles).
However even PowerMat requires carrying a charger and we should see some development in wireless power, eg. the idea that a wall provides a beam of power (like wireless internet) and charges everything. The reason is that you can imagine how convenient it would be in a coffee shop to have your mobile automatically charge and your laptop too (of course, you would buy coffee too). As PowerMat power induction chips may be included in roughly half of new mobile bateries this could be really quite interesting, it’s only a small step to go wireless.
Hopefully desktops will become more power-efficient and environmentally-friendly, but we’re not holding out hope as so far it’s a very niche market and people aren’t asking for it, expect 1w standby on TVs first.
Laptops, Tablets & Netbooks
Not much has changed in laptops since they started appearing in the 90s (we recall a 24Mhz version). Aside from improved power (see above and use of Solid State Disk drives) the main potential development is turning the keyboard into another screen. This doesn’t mean just touchscreen, things like a keyboard ‘pushing’ through the screen so it feels more tactile have already been filed as patents by the likes of Apple and others.
Netbooks have lost a bit of their honeymoon as people realise they are underpowered but the initial aversion to them by Intel and Microsoft seems to be waning (Windows 7 Starter is basically for netbooks) and their potential is increasing. Again with double-screens and touch being added you get a kind of tablet of sorts. We think tablets are ‘nice’ but will only work with a keyboard or other quick data-entry method (eg. voice).
Mobiles & Devices
These are where we expect the most exciting developments. Already the big manufacturers are in a massive bun-fight to control advertising on mobiles (the Nexus One from Google is completely about that) and the reason is that mobiles are expected to be the main access point to the Internet within 5 years.
As mobiles start to reach 1Ghz processors (like some netbooks) they are becoming extremely capable as computer devices. Hence ‘convegence’ (bringing together multiple devices) will continue. Some options:
- compasses (helping you navigate locally and providing more interesting SAT-Nav)
- projectors (more likely laser than LED, integrated fully not as additional lumps)
- augmented reality (overlaying information while you point a camera somewhere)
- applications, applications, applications (mini software on pretty much every phone)
Other Stuff?!?
Almost certainly this will turn into a stupid last phrase, but probably the most exciting thing to happen in the future is that technology companies will become more user-focussed. The prime example of that is Windows 7 actually being what Windows Vista should be and everyone copying the likes of Apple with their simple interfaces and desirable products.
