Business -- 16 days ago
Predictions about the most popular apps and gadgets of 2015
Words: Guy Aubrey Devito
2014 has been a great year for apps and gadgets – the Apple Watch showed that smart watches are being taken seriously by the major tech players and more apps than ever before were created. 2015 will have its work cut out if it is to surpass the tech bonanza we’ve enjoyed this year…
THE GAME APPS WILL BE EVEN MORE ADDICTIVE
The bright lights of Candy Crush Saga continue to illuminate buses, trains and the tube as millions of commuters get their fix at dawn and dusk. It’s clear that games apps work very well – people use them more often than any other type. Expect major brands to start getting in on the action; ‘Coca Cola Quest’, ‘McDonald’s Minefield’ and ‘Armani Adventures’ are all very possible titles as they realise it’s a great way to advertise. Also expect to see more iOS and Android versions of PlayStation and Xbox games, due to the increasing power of tablets and smartphones.
APPS WILL BECOME EVEN MORE SPECIALISED
Nobody wants an app that gives you transport information these days – they want an app that allows you to save a home address and then gives you voice or textual prompts on how to best get back home. Apps which allow the user to personalise them to their specific needs are the ones that tend to gain the most traction. Expect this trend to continue in the new year, with even more personalised and specialised apps dominating the App Store and Google Play.
HOLOGRAMS MIGHT FINALLY ARRIVE
In 2010 IBM’s annual ‘next five in five’ (five technologies that will appear within five years time) predicted that ‘you’ll beam up your friends in 3-D’. That is to say, 3-D will not just be in the cinema, you’ll also be sending hologram messages to your friends and family. Unfortunately the world is still waiting for this long promised technology, but maybe 2015 will be the year that holograms become commercially viable.
APPS WILL BECOME EVEN MORE PLENTIFUL
The new Apple iPad Air 2 has been released with the options of having 16, 64 or 128 GB’s of storage – rather than the past option of 16, 32 or 64 GB’s of storage. This increased focus on storage capacity indicates that most people need more room for all their apps, due to the increased numbers of applications being made. With more apps than ever being produced, it is not unrealistic to predict that next year many people will store over one hundred apps on their tablets and smartphones.
THE HENDO HOVERBOARD WILL BECOME A REAL POSSIBILITY
The Hendo Hoverboard excited everyone in October when a working prototype was created and now global crowdfunding platform Kickstarter have gotten in on the action. Whether Back to the Future style hoverboarders will be zooming around pavements remains to be seen, but there is a very real possibility that the Hendo Hoverboard could become commercially available in 2015.
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