Editor’s Note: In February Prime brings you the second part of the 10-year look back Kate and her colleagues at Post Computers undertook, noting all the advances in the world of consumer tech between 2010 and 2019. Check out how much happened from 2015 to 2019!
By Kate Thresher and The Team at POST Computers
prime@pocosys.com
February 2020 – we’re already one month into a new decade. There’s no doubt that technology changes quickly, but just how much happened during the previous 10 years? By our reckoning, quite a bit! If you missed our look at the changes in consumer tech from 2010 to 2014, you can find it online at www.primontheweb.com under the technology tab. Below is our observations on the changes from 2015 to 2019.
2015
Apple had a busy 2015 – First, Apple released the first Apple Watch. Though not the first “smart watch,” Apple reimagined the smart watch to be less clunky, independent from and seamlessly integrating with a phone, and functioning with a more responsive touch screen.
Apple also released the iPad Pro with the Apple Pencil. Like traditional paper, the iPad Pro with the Pencil allows users to rest their hand on the touch surface without interference. The iPad only responds to the pencil tip and even responds differently to different pressure, thanks to another breakthrough in technology – multi-touch, pressure sensitive screens.
2016
As the years progress, we have found ways to put more power into smaller packages. In this year’s case, we found a way to put more storage in a smaller package. 2016 welcomed a breakthrough in storage technology – the first 1 terabyte SD (camera) card.
DJI released the fourth series of its Phantom drones, this time with one huge upgrade – front and bottom facing sensors. These sensors allow the drone to intelligently detect and avoid obstacles in its way, making the Phantom 4 the safest drone readily available to the public.
2017
This year was all about “smart” things. Artificial intelligence is at an all time high, everyday things are being revamped with technology to make them learn human patterns, and voice control is progressing daily. Google is currently the leader in AI with their Google Home system, the Google Assistant, and Android based integrating apps, however Amazon is nipping closely on Google’s heels with Alexa smart home devices. We are also beginning to see fully automated equipment in unexpected places, like taking over for line cooks in some restaurants.
2018
We’ve been hearing about drones for a while now, but at the opening ceremonies for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Intel stole the show with a coordinated light show of 1,218 programed drones.
The growth of technology has always centered around expanding limits, and one of this year’s main attractions was no different. In 2018 Netgear introduced WiFi mesh technology, linking several wireless nodes around a specific area in an attempt to minimize drop in signal strength without interrupting connectivity, with the goal that home WiFi should know no bounds.
2019 and Beyond
Children are the future, and technology is reaching out for the next generations of geeks and nerds in a whole new way. From Fisher-Price to Lego to DJI, companies are lining up toys that teach programming, coding, and robotics to kids of all ages. Though there isn’t anything new about robotics for the younger generation, the field is getting larger, the kids are getting younger, and more companies are getting on board with a wider array of technology-based learning.
In the coming decade, we are predicting a rise of artificial intelligence far exceeding what we have today, smart devices showing up in more and more places, cyber security becoming an even bigger threat, and a constant state of change and development. We are by no means living in the world that we saw in movies and TV shows such as “The Jetsons,” “Star Trek,” or “Back to the Future,” but we are moving forward through new innovation and bettering what we already have.
What’s your thoughts on all this?
Feel free to send me an email with your thoughts on technological growth and development, what you think we will see in the next decade, or what you though we would already have by now.
And as always, if you have any questions, concerns, or ideas for a next article, please reach out. prime@pocosys.com
POST Computer Systems has been serving the Western Mass. community since 1992. Started in a basement in Wilbraham, the company continues to grow year after year thanks to the strength of their service department and the continued support from the local community.
If you have any questions or concerns, or to request a future Prime article topic, please reach out to the crew at POST Computer Systems by emailing: prime@pocosys.com
