Corporate jargon aside, the tech industry is on the brink of yet another revolution post 2014. While the year didn't exactly see massive changes in a lot of areas, 2014 was more about setting the stage for the future of tech. The wheels are in motion and the future is much clearer than it was ever before. Here are the trends that we saw in 2014 that will define the future.
Wearables
When Samsung marketed its Galaxy Gear smartwatch as something out of a sci-fi movie, things were set in motion. These devices are still not perfect, but they've recieved a huge push from companies in 2014, especially with Google and Apple entering the market. There's no doubt that they'll be much bigger very soon.
Health and Fitness
The image here suggests that it's a fight between Google and Apple, but that's not true. These two companies just entered the Health and Fitness space and solidified its position as something that's here to stay. Hell, Google is even working on a Pulse Oximeter in its Project Ara device.
Redefinition of budget smartphones
The Moto G (1st Gen) started the revolution and the Xiaomi Mi3 completed it. You can get Snapdragon 800 powered smartphones for less than 15k now and that is something you couldn't have imagined 12 months ago.
Chinese invasion
Speaking of the budget segment, this one made a big impact, particularly in India. Chinese manufacturers have been recognised globally this year and the exclamation point was when Lenovo completed the purchase of Motorola from Google.
Buying online
While we're on the topic, how about buying a smartphone online, eh? Flipkart's Big Billion Day sale and Snapdeal and Amazon's similar efforts made a difference, as will Google's GOSF today, even though it is below our expectations. In addition, more manufacturers are taking the 'online only' strategy every day.
Big Screens and Quad-HD
While Motorola and Xiaomi work the budget segment, Google, Samsung and Apple are busy increasing the screen sizes. Samsung's Galaxy Note 4, Google's Nexus 6, LG's G3 and Apple's iPhone 6 Plus brought Quad-HD displays and big screens to the forefront once again.
4K Resolution
Big screens are nothing new for televisions, but 4k resolution and curved screens are. It's the step after Quad-HD and Samsung, LG and others are working hard to get it to the mainstream.
Convergence of Devices/Cloud Platforms
Cloud computing isn't new and neither is convergence of devices, but they got a big push this year. Both Google and Apple built Lollipop and iOS 8 to support cloud features and aid convergence between devices. It's one of those things that is beneficial to both consumer and company.
Drones
Some governments banned them, some people wrote conspiracy theories about them, Amazon is going to use them for deliveries and together, they've all brought drones to the mainstream. Well, almost. These robotic devices will take some more time to be perfected, but there's no going back now.
Security concerns
Sony was hacked, Apple was hacked, government websites were hacked and security became the talk of the town. The result? Security policies adopted by governments and corporations have never been more important and are the constant focus of the media and users.
Selfies
Ellen Degeneres' selfie at the Oscars this year made more news than the event itself. Well, that just goes to show that this trend is catching up. Samsung and Microsoft went ahead and launched wide angle cameras on their devices and things like the selfie stick made it all the more relevant.
Virtual Reality
Last but not the least, the Oculus Rift brought virtual reality to a never before seen level, making it almost ready for commercial products. Samsung took it a step further , launching the Gear VR for consumers, albeit with a long list of do's and dont's, which were more dont's than do's. Still, Virtual Reality is almost here and it's only a matter of time before we're all playing games in Quest World.