The article highlights the top 10 editor-picked designs from 2025, emphasizing how nostalgia influences current trends across culture, tech, and design, with notable concepts like Google's Pixel Headphones, a retro-inspired iPod, and innovative urban infrastructure projects, showcasing a pendulum swing between past and future in design and technology.
The article discusses the reasons behind Apple's shift from the Lightning port to USB-C on the iPhone, highlighting factors like industry standards, regulatory pressures, and technological advancements.
2025 is predicted to be the breakthrough year for smart glasses, with advancements making them more useful, stylish, and diverse, including new models from Meta, Google, Snap, and rumors about Apple and Samsung entering the market, spanning categories like audio, camera, AR, and vision enhancement.
Spotify's popular Wrapped feature, which provides users with a personalized summary of their listening habits, has inspired numerous platforms to create similar year-in-review experiences. Amazon Music, Apple Music, Deezer, YouTube Music, and even non-music platforms like Duolingo and Mastodon have launched their own versions, offering insights into user habits and preferences. These features have become a trend across various digital services, with more companies expected to join in as the year ends.
Futurist Amy Webb predicts a "supercycle" of technology driven by the convergence of AI, biotech, and connected devices, leading to a world of AI-powered connected devices and continuous learning from users. She highlights the potential of AI-driven biotechnological advancements in addressing crises like climate change and hunger, but also warns of potential catastrophic scenarios. Webb offers recommendations for businesses and individuals to navigate and harness the value of technological innovations.
CES 2024 showcases a plethora of innovative tech, including AR/VR glasses, foldable TVs, flying EV taxis, and futuristic concepts like a 2-minute ice cream maker and a robot vacuum with AI-powered stain recognition. Notable highlights include a foldable phone that bends in both directions, a portable OLED display that folds, and a transparent OLED screen that transforms from a "fish tank" to a 77-inch television. Additionally, the event features futuristic concepts such as a wristwatch remote and a toothbrush with AI voice guidance.
The biggest tech stories to watch in 2024 include the continued dominance of generative AI and AI in general, with a focus on how companies are generating revenue from their AI investments. Augmented and virtual reality will take center stage with the release of Apple's Vision Pro headset, setting up a showdown with rival Meta. Autonomous vehicle technology will also receive attention as companies like Tesla and GM face criticism related to their self-driving capabilities. Additionally, local generative AI apps will provide consumers with more privacy and security, and investors will be looking for returns on Big Tech's AI investments.
The tech industry is seeing a shift in trends this year, with generative AI tools like OpenAI's ChatGPT taking center stage while last year's hot topics like crypto and the metaverse have fallen out of favor. Layoffs and a growing interest in living forever are also shaping the industry. The tech trends of 2023 are already getting a green light.