Each year, technological innovations continue to reshape the world. Today, technology plays a vital role in our everyday lives, and it helps people accomplish so much more than they could a decade ago. Nevertheless, technology continues to evolve, and new and creative inventions help the human race develop further. In which direction technology will go in the future is hard to predict. However, these 5 technology predictions will surely await us in 2020.
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Migrating to the cloud
Cloud computing is gaining popularity and practicality each year; by 2020, it may become a standard. So far, there are three aspects of cloud computing in use, SaaS (Software as a Service), PaaS (Platform as a Service), and IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service). Cloud computing has enabled businesses to take their marketing to the next level, and it has helped businesses scale accordingly.
Apart from that, cloud computing has also simplified the distribution of both software and hardware services to consumers across the globe. It’s safe to say that the cloud will be the next standard in computing and the way we use technology in our everyday lives.
Cars that drive themselves
Ever since Y2K, people have anticipated flying cars. Well, there are no flying cars on the horizon yet; instead, we got the self-driving car concept. The concept of self-driving cars is still being developed by Google and Tesla Motors, but significant progress has been made in recent years, and by 2020, we may get to see them in commercial use. The idea of self-driving cars revolves around eliminating the human factor in driving and thus reducing the number of traffic accidents and traffic jams.
By eliminating the human factor, self-driving cars are also eliminating all the fun of driving. However, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, as cars will now reduce both the stress and the number of horrible accidents on the road. Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk stated on Twitter that full self-driving capability features for cars will be available in “3 months maybe, 6 definitely.”
Connected through IoT
Since the idea was released to the public in 1999, the Internet of Things (IoT) has sparked a lot of interest. Nowadays, IoT is the most interesting technological feature worldwide. IoT is a network of devices that are “smart,” in other words, devices that are able to send and receive data. However, since they are so highly popular, IoT devices are in great demand, and manufacturers work around the clock to meet that demand.
The only problem is that they tend to forget to secure their devices and eliminate malfunctions, leading to a high customer complaint rate. However, IoT will inevitably become the foundation of technological infrastructure.
A different kind of reality
Technology has brought us the ability to alter reality using virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). This tech has been around for a while now, but recently it has truly started to expand. VR has revolutionized the gameplay experience in the gaming industry, as well as enabled virtual tours for customers in the real estate industry.
On the other hand, Apple has pushed AR into the world with the release of its ARKit tool for iPhones and iPads that will combine the virtual and the real world. Apple’s CEO Tim Cook has said that AR will be a huge part of Apple’s future, and we all know that where Apple goes, others are sure to follow.
Machine intelligence
Technology is pushing towards machine learning and the development of artificial intelligence (AI) in hopes that it will improve people’s lives. Let’s just hope they are right and that they won’t create Skynet.
Nevertheless, so far, the main focus is on developing digital assistants that will become smart enough to offer users uniquely personalized features. Today, we are seeing these digital assistants in their infant stages, such as Apple’s Siri or Microsoft’s Cortana. AI technology still has a long way to go, but by 2050 we are bound to see more advancements in its commercial use.
Technology brings innovations into our lives, and it will continue to do so. By 2020, people will rely on technology even more than they do today. As for the distant future, we’ll have to wait and see.
