5 Fun Tech Trends We See All The Time
The tech industry is full of different trends and exciting things that seem to come and go. The funny thing is, many tech trends will be alive for a while, then go away, and then come back again. You'll see a couple of examples of this as you go through the piece, along with all the other fun tech trends we see all the time. It's interesting to look at technology and see where advancements or changes are being made. So, let's go on a little tech adventure!
Making things as small as possible
Since the dawn of the modern technological era, there's been something of an obsession with making things as small as can be. The earliest example of this was the mobile phone. When the first ones came out, they were chunkier than literal phones. However, tech advancements were made to gradually try and shrink the size of this device, while improving the way it functions at the same time. To the point where we had tiny mobile phones that fit in the palm of your hand. The ironic thing with this example is that we seem to have gone in the opposite direction as of late, with smartphones getting bigger and bigger.
Nevertheless, we still see the smallness trend happening throughout the tech world. Drones are perhaps the best focal point right now, seeing as they're a very popular device in modern times. When first released to the market, drones were big and clunky things with loads of attachments. However, as it shows here https://www.drdrone.ca/pages/dji-mini-2, we now have drones like the DJI Mini that are small enough to fit in your hand. The tech inside the drone is better than older drones, yet the entire device is much smaller. You could potentially say the same about earbuds/headphones - nowadays companies are making them as small as possible, to the point where you barely notice them in your ears.
Getting rid of bezels
For those that don't know, bezels are the frames around screens. If you look at the device you're reading this on, you'll notice there's a slight bit of framing around the actual screen itself. Over the years, there's been a mission to get rid of bezels as much as possible. To the point where there are smartphones out there that are almost bezel-less, meaning you are basically holding a screen!
Still, we can see examples of this trend from way back - and it stems from TVs. The first TVs were chunky with tiny screens and massive bezels. Gradually, we ate away at the bezel until we now have ultra-thin bezels on TVs, maximizing the screen space. Ultimately, that's what this trend has been about; getting rid of the framing to make room for larger screens, improving the user experience.
Going as thin as can be
This trend sort of falls in line with the previous one in the hunt to make technological devices more modern. Over time, there has been a tendency to see things get thinner and thinner. Once more, TVs are a perfect example - or any screens, actually. Remember how much depth there used to be to TV or computer screens? Now, they're barely a couple of inches thick, and it makes life so much better for the user. You need less space to accommodate a TV or computer screen nowadays - not to mention they look much better thinned down.
Again, smartphones can be thrown into the mix here too. Certainly, the idea of making phones thinner is a top priority for many manufacturers. The thinner the phone, the easier it is to carry around as it becomes lighter. Laptops are similar - products like the Macbook Air have really set the standard for ultra-thin portable computers.
Making things foldable
There has definitely always been a fascination with inventing devices, then folding them. Drones were mentioned earlier, and they have been adapted so you can fold different parts, making them easier to pack away and carry around. Back in the day, flip phones were super popular as they allowed you to have a small device that could flip out and be functional. Funnily enough, this trend went away in the phone industry for many years, but it's now back yet again!
Similarly, you will find so many tech devices that can be folded in one way or another. Foldable speakers are popular, as are...well...laptops! The laptop is arguably the original foldable gadget, giving you a PC that you can fold and take with you in a bag. Folding things is a popular trend in the industry because people think it adds convenience. When something can be folded, it will always be made into a smaller shape. Therefore, less space is taken up without sacrificing performance.
Giving intelligence to everything
The final trend is one that's straight out of a sci-fi movie. Look around yourself and your home right now and count how many smart devices you have. There's a smartphone, tablets are smart, smart speakers, smart doorbells, smart lights, even a smart fridge! If you can think of it, there's probably a company out there that's trying to make it smarter.
The idea of making things smart is all about utilizing a combination of machine learning and artificial intelligence. The aim is for devices to remember patterns and act accordingly for you. What's interesting about this trend is that it's the one that will impact wider society the most. Look at things like a smart thermostat as an example - you now have more control over your energy usage than ever before, helping you actively reduce carbon emissions.
With all things considered, there are some pretty special tech trends out there. The ones discussed above are prevalent in our world today, but they also existed previously. Funnily enough, you also find that certain tech trends die out in one area, then become popular in others. The making things small trend is a fine example; it was prevalent in the mobile phone industry, died away, but is now popular in loads of other tech gadgets. Anyway, it's cool to look at things like this while also considering what future trends we might see...