5 Tech Trends to Watch in 2022

I've been writing a tech predictions column for over 30 years now. I study research from my firm, Artistic Strategies, and expect for data that provides hints of what might be the hot topics, trends, or issues in the coming twelvemonth. Here'south what I come across on the horizon for tech in 2022.

Cyber-Security Threats Worsen

This is not a new prediction, merely "state" actors accept now entered the scene, reportedly with bankroll from countries like Democratic people's republic of korea, Russia, and Prc. They fund armies of hackers, who try to steal everything from nuclear secrets to banking concern codes, hacking into power grids and private accounts.

So it is not a stretch to predict that this will get even worse in 2022 now these hacking armies have learned how to game US systems, specially as nosotros head into midterm elections adjacent fall.

Opinions What makes this worse for us in America specifically is that we merely don't have enough security experts to counter many of these major threats. Without the talent to develop more powerful cyber-security tools (and hold on to the ones we do have), our networks are highly vulnerable. I fear this volition atomic number 82 to new hacking disasters in 2022 that we are sick-prepared to fend off.

More Folding Smartphones, Tablets

I saw some very interesting folding and dual-screen phone prototypes in tardily 2022, and I look to encounter marketplace-gear up products next year.

ZTE released the dual-screen Axon M last month, but information technology's exclusive to AT&T, limiting its attain, and PCMag found it to be a bit buggy in testing. With a few tweaks, though, we could run into at least i foldable smartphone and one foldable tablet late in 2022 from major players, setting in motion a new trend in mobile design going into 2022.

Y'all Can't Escape Augmented Reality

In 2022, Apple tree finally embraced augmented reality with ARKit, while Google revealed ARCore, leading many to believe we'd run across the first killer AR apps by the holidays. Just as of now, I have not seen an AR app I tin can't live without.

I do think the smartphone is a great identify to first in terms of getting people interested in the engineering science; nosotros're already staring at the devices all solar day anyway. But I am condign more and more convinced that for AR to actually impact our lives, it will take to be delivered through some type of smart glasses, which I don't see happening before 2022.

AR, meanwhile, is often mentioned in the same jiff as virtual reality. But I run across VR taking off largely in vertical markets, where all types of industries are experimenting with it to see how it affects their workflow and potential profitability. For more on that, check out PCMag'due south October feature, How Augmented Reality Is Transforming Piece of work.

All-Day Laptop Bombardment Life

PCMag's Sascha Sagan and I were in Hawaii recently for Qualcomm's Snapdragon Summit, where it talked up its always-continued PC initiative. The premise is that these Snapdragon 835-based devices, like the HP Envy x2 and Asus NovaGo, take congenital-in LTE radios that provide constant cyberspace connections and 20 hours of battery life.

I'thou not quite sure the always-on aspect will be these machines' biggest selling point, though. In our iPad enquiry, we found that 50 percent of iPads sold include the LTE radio chip, but that only 25 percentage of those machines ever have their LTE activated. I retrieve the bigger story from Qualcomm's consequence is that incredible battery life. Imagine heading off for the day and not having to think virtually conveying a ability cord for your laptop since you know you will go at least twenty hours of real utilize.

Social Media Regulation

I know this might be considered a bold prediction, only my contacts in Washington say legislators from both sides of the alley are increasingly concerned nigh the negative bear upon social media has had on the ballot process and the political climate in general.

Although Washington had hoped Facebook, Twitter, and Google would law themselves, insiders I speak with are growing skeptical that these companies can handle it lone. Total regulation is probably not likely, but I would not be surprised if we do see some legislation. Subsequently all, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai already went later Twitter during the net neutrality fence.

Near Tim Bajarin

Tim Bajarin

Tim Bajarin is recognized every bit 1 of the leading industry consultants, analysts, and futurists covering the field of personal computers and consumer technology. Mr. Bajarin has been with Creative Strategies since 1981 and has provided research to most of the leading hardware and software vendors in the industry including IBM, Apple, Xerox, Compaq, Dell, AT&T, Microsoft, Polaroid, Lotus, Epson, Toshiba, and numerous others. Mr. Bajarin is known as a concise, futuristic analyst, credited with predicting the desktop publishing revolution 3 years before it hit the market, and identifying multimedia as a major tendency in written reports equally early as 1984. He has authored major industry studies on PC, portable computing, …