Although Apple released two iPhones and Mac made bit of a comeback, tech industry news in 2017 may have been underwhelming for some. It took a few steps backwards after Apple admitted to throttling older iPhones and the haunting security issues and hacks that made headlines throughout the year. If 2017 didn’t satisfy your tech-crave, 2018 should be better.
We’re on the verge of the fourth industrial revolution. Unsurprisingly, most of the planned inventions are aimed toward entertainment and will fit in our pockets. However, there is a handful that aim to assist in our day-to-day lives.
Paving The Way For Self-Driving Cars
2018 will be remembered as the first real year for self-driving cars. Although they will not be mainstream just yet, Arizona is planned to see real world tests. Waymo will be the first company to test their self-driving cars on public roads with real customers as passengers. In October, Waymo completed tests on public roads with employees in the car. Hopefully, this leads to less accidents and provides a solid foundation for future AI work.
AR And VR Tech May Make Headlines
There’s talk of augmented reality breaking through this year. Consumers have been limited in their exposure to the tech after the Pokémon Go craze in 2016. Go proved there was a demand from the public for AR tech. The company behind the popular app made nearly a billion dollars in 2016. Most of that was made within the first two months of the app’s release. Google, Facebook, and Microsoft are in their own “space race” for the next big item to explode the AR or VR market.
Is The Truth Out There?
If you’re a bit of a conspiracy theorist or stargazer, 2017 left you with little information on released Pentagon files regarding flying objects and random black rings appearing in the sky. Also, Blink 182’s Tom DeLonge created the Starts Academy of Arts and Science, as well as a UFO research team, which is composed of ex-CIA and Lockheed directors. We can’t promise anything, but we don’t blame you for being excited about a possible UFO/alien disclosure sometime this year.