Wondering what you can expect from tech in 2019? Here’s what we’re watching for in the new year.
At FileWave, part of our work is tracking new and emerging technologies to see how our customers may adopt and implement them in their technology landscape. As we review current trends and predictions from thought leaders in this area, here are some of the emergent technologies that we’re expecting to see develop and gain more traction in 2019.
Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality
Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality have come a long way from their early and clunkier versions. There are now big pushes to apply these innovative technologies in educational settings to help with visualization and experiential learning. The ability to manipulate digital models or experience immersive settings can help transform the way students interact with the content they’re learning. While much of the adoption has been at the consumer level through VR video game consoles and AR apps for smartphones, we expect EdTech and corporate adoption and use of AR/VR to grow rapidly in 2019.
Internet of Things (IoT)
The number of devices that connect to the internet and generate data based on their use is already growing rapidly – most home appliances are available in smart versions these days. We expect this trend to continue as consumer adoption of smart devices and innovative applications of their data grow. Whether it’s a smart thermostat that optimizes your home’s temperature for comfort and cost-savings or a series of smart switches a homeowner uses to automate different light settings for different times of day, each of these devices represents an additional endpoint and potential security risk. End users will need to apply strong security behaviors to their use in order to secure their use of IoT.
Increasing Personal Device Counts
The most popular gifts to give each season seem to be devices – smartphones, laptops, tablets, e-readers, video game consoles, and smartwatches typically top “must have” holiday gift lists. As a component of the IoT explosion, the number of network-connected devices is projected to reach 4 for every person on Earth.
Automation at Work and Home
The power of automation is expected only to grow in the workplace and at home. FileWave customers use automated processes to image, deploy, and repair software on their organization’s fleet of endpoints, so we know firsthand the way automation can help transform your relationship to work and technology. As new devices and software develop, we anticipate more individuals will be finding ways to automate menial parts of the work and lives to streamline processes and free up their time for more meaningful activities. 2019 may be the year that this takes hold in wildly transformative ways.
5G Wireless
Wireless phone service providers are in a continual arms race for service, speed, coverage, and more. As 5G begins to roll out across the US to more and more communities, this will create more channels for home internet access, a huge challenge for educators in the US. Smartphone technology may not have caught up yet to fully leverage the new speeds and coverage of 5G, but we’re certain tech development will speed up to take advantage.
Technology developments occur rapidly – there certainly will be surprises in 2019 at the consumer and corporate levels. We’re looking forward to seeing how this technology is used to help push workers and educators further in the New Year.
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