Technology Predictions 2014

We look into the crystal ball and try to predict what the technology trends for 2014 will be…

So, what is going to happen technology wise in 2014…  Time to buff up that crystal ball..

#1 Wearables and wrists..

Even more than now, we will find the wearable technology creeping more and more into our day to day life. We have had a crop of sports monitoring related wearables, now watch out for the real digital watches of future. These will contain:

  • Bluetooth integration, so they can talk to your phone
  • Colour Displays
  • Touch screen displays
  • Microphones and speaker
  • Good battery life (at least 4 days).

Now, these are available now (or a subset of features) but in 2014 it will go main stream. Everyone from Samsung to Apple WILL be releasing a watch of some description – your wrist will be the next digital consumer battleground for sure in 2014.

#2 Foldable displays

Samsung have already got a prototype via a curved display out there and their demo videos indicate they are pushing to get the worlds first foldable display for a phone out the door. This will happen in 2014 for sure. Samsumg have a very clear lead in this space and I see them cleaning up if the competition cannot match them – everybody wants that bit more screen real estate and having a foldable screen gives you the best of both worlds.

#3 Mobile traffic rules

I reckon 2014 will be the year when more than 50% of all Internet traffic will be sourced from mobile devices like phones and tablets. The days of the desktop PC being #1 are very limited. This is of particular importance to those with websites as you need to have your website be responsive or it will just look bad on mobiles..

#4 Big data not just for the big players

With the ever decreasing costs of processing power and storage, crunching big data sets are no longer the reserve of the IT elite – everybody will be able to do it by effectively renting the power and storage they need for exactly the time they require. Yes, the cloud enables this, but Moore’s Law makes it a reality.

#5 The rise of the IT East

Currently, nearly everything in IT is made in China or the East to a larger or smaller degree; but the vast mayority of this is ‘branded’ manufacturing; i.e. doing the assembly work for someone else. I think in 2014 we are going to see a lot of manufacturers turning out their own kit directly to Western consumers – it makes a lot of sense for them, they get access to a bigger profit cut and are able to innovate more quickly having direct control over the manufacturing process.

#6 BYOD security nightmares

BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) will open the door to a flood of security problems for corporations in 2014. Plus its not just smartphones, a whole load of wearables will be making their way into workplaces. I fear we are at risk of seeing a massive outbreak of malware..

#7 HTTPS everywhere

The move to HTTPS to avoid man in the middle snooping by governments will gather more steam in 2014 and start filtering down to second and third tier websites as people demand more privacy online. Also more companies will activity encrypt their own internal network traffic to avoid tapping issues.

#8 The Internet of Things will plod along

I don’t see the Internet of Things moving much in 2014 – its hampered by an utter lack of proper standards and the fact that most of the internet still operates off IPv4. We literally cannot put much more on the Internet as is without breaking things badly. Also I suspect the security situation around the IoTs is very weak…

#9 Mobile payments will evolve, quickly

So far using your mobile phone as a method of payment has been a rather hit or miss undertaking. But it looks like 2014 could be when this all starts to come together in a really usable way. The issue has been not so much the smartphones themselves but the technical readiness of retailers to be in a good position to do so. 2014 promises some strong moves ahead in this area both in terms of functionality and practicality.

#10 Location based marketing

I suspect that in 2014 with the push on big data processing that the incidence of Location based marketing will increase, as it will become easier to respond at the speed needed to give people offers they can act on.

What didn’t make it…

#11 3d Printers

I know, everybody wants one, but at over $1000 each and still very unpredictable quality output (plus slow) these will still be very much hobbyist for the next 2 to 3 years at least. There needs to be a real step change in the process for it to go main stream in a big way.

So what do you think will happen in 2014? Please just visit our Facebook page and discuss.