We all are aware of the fact that tech trends have a tendency to rise and fall after a certain period of time. Most of them are temporary fads that come and go over time.
Not all though! Some actually stay for a long time indeed as a result of their innovativeness and usefulness.
Anyway, let’s take a peek at some of these high-tech trends to look out for in 2017 that have high potentials to change the world for the betterment of the people.
#1. Cryptocurrency
To be more specific, I should refer to them as “bitcoins.” They are digital versions of cash and can be used as a substitute.
The “bitcoin” trend is rapidly growing in popularity due to the increasing number of benefits (from safety to convenience and everything in between) that come with them.
You can even store your bitcoins in a digital wallet (for e.g. BTC wallet) just like you store your cash in your physical wallet. The risks of theft and burglary can also be significantly reduced as a result of that.
#2. The rise of virtual reality
The virtual reality technology was previously considered an avant-garde form of technology that seemed possible only in science fiction movies and games. Today, it has become very much a part of the reality.
And it’s spreading its wings as well from the entertainment industry (movies and games) to other important business fields of our life (such as real estates, employee training, education, tourism etc.).
Here’s an example for you:
#3. The Chatbot technology
The chatbot trend has more or less taken the world by storm. More and more businesses are adopting this trend over time for business process automation which is something capable of saving them a lot of money on one hand and increasing revenues on the other.
The uniqueness of chatbots lies in the fact that they ARE bots in reality but they DON’T exactly feel like bots unless you are aware of the fact. It might seem like a paradox but it’s a fact indeed.
Thus, businesses will be able to automate their customer service on one hand and retain the human touch on the other. This is a definite upside of the chatbot trend; there’s simply no doubt about it.
#4. Drones or unmanned aerial vehicles
The drone technology is nothing new to be honest. Previously, they were used mainly by the army for various territory surveys and enemy detections. But now commercial uses of drones are slowly gaining grounds as a result of the benefits that come with it.
Best example can be Amazon who’s already using drones as a part of their Prime Air drone delivery. So the opportunity is there for the taking, and we can easily predict from the ongoing that more and more ecommerce or retail companies will be using drones as a part of their delivery operations.
The real estate sectors are also not far behind. They are also using drones as a part of their aerial photography campaigns to great effect.
The drone technology can increase convenience and keep
everything within budget at the same time. So I can easily say that this trend is here to stay and is definitely one to look out for in 2017 and the years to follow.
#5. Augmented reality
So we talked about virtual reality already. It’ll be incomplete if we don’t talk about its immediate counterpart i.e. augmented reality.
Augmented reality is a technology that superimposes a CGI on the user’s view of the real world. This provides the user with a composite view where virtual world objects are mixed with real world objects to provide a mixed reality effect.
The AR technology has revolutionized the training, advertising and real estate industries. Companies are able to draw in more business and promote their wares in an entirely new format which is attractive enough from the point of view of the audience.
Case in point:
#6. Big Data
Analysis of big data was considered a part of luxury once. But today, it has become a very part of the necessity.
The use of big data has very much gone into trends now as a result of the benefits that come with it. Some of these are:
- Through the use of big data, companies are able to analyze the root of all problems in real time and base their solution strategies on that. A peek at in-store analytics should explain this easily.
- Companies can use big data to provide a more personalized service to their customers.
- Big data also helps in risk assessment.
- Big data adds value to customer interactions (either online or offline).
- Companies are able to track buying habits of customers and frame their marketing strategies on basis of that information.
So you can draw only one conclusion from all the points mentioned above. Big data is here to stay. Let’s wait and see what wonders it can bring in the years to follow.
#7. Driver-less driving
Remember the Steven Spielberg classic: Jurassic Park? It featured driver-less cars which looked like these ones right here-
A still from the Steven Spielberg classic Jurassic Park depicting driverless cars
Now that was just a movie. Today it has actually become a very part of the reality. Tesla has already included the driverless technology in some of their cars to great effect. Here’s a demonstration video of the same:
The benefits of driverless technology are many ranging from low accident odds to lower fuel consumption. This technology is still in its infancy but it looks guaranteed to stay in the foreseeable future. Let’s see how it fares till the end of 2017.
#8. AI-based personal assistant
The development of an AI based personal assistant has almost become a race against time. Almost all the big giants of the industry such as Amazon, Google, Apple etc. are trying their best to create the best artificially intelligent personal assistant of the lot.
Here are two examples for you:
Amazon’s Echo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPXS7rC1PWo
Google Home
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KpLHdAURGo
Like I said before, trends come; trends go but only the strongest survive the rat race. But will these 9 also follow the same footsteps? Only time will tell.
