Most Hyped Technologies: A Decade Overview

Imagination is perhaps more important than knowledge. But when imagination merges with knowledge, there comes the inception of greatness. We’ve seen this most often in recent years in technology and technical innovations. People love to speak about technology. Linked with imagination there is hope to predict the future when it comes to technology. However, this is not a simple science. Technology grows and changes at a rapid rate with one innovation often leading to another. 

Over the last ten years, we have seen some of the world’s most significant technological developments. Some of these are still unbelievable even though we use them in our day-to-day lives. Social networking, wireless internet, nano-biometric scanners, and many other technologies are a part of our day to day lives. These technologies continuously change us. They transform our lifestyle, the way we work and communicate. Gartner’s Hype cycle records the roller coaster ride of technology. It starts at the brink of public awareness to the culminating point of adoption at wider levels and economic viability. Let’s look at some of the key points of note.

Most Prominent Technologies

Peak-point Technologies

The media always looks for the next new technology, but certain specific technologies tend to take over the entire media. They are invincible and the world gets astonished by that specific technological advancement. 

At the same time, companies tend to promote their technology to the people. Companies spend a tremendous amount of capital venturing to bring their technology to the market. With proper marketing strategies, organizations try to manifest excitement and an expectation for consumers. 

One such example is the Alexa, Siri, and the other voice assistance application. Ten years ago, this was not really a need than anyone thought necessary to fill. People did the job themselves or if they could afford it hired a professional or a personal assistant for their work. But now, voice assistants help us in multiple aspects of our lives. 

Surpassing the Hype

Here are some of the technologies which were able to surpass the hype and expectations placed on them. They have become even more successful than foreseen. 

Cloud Computing 

The concept of breaking data into fragments and making it available to everyone in real time was once considered impossible. The advent of high speed networks now allow companies to save, store and process all of their information online. 

Companies like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft spend billions of dollars on cloud computing research. They make about 6 to 7 billion US dollars in revenue per quarter, and the industry seems to still only be at inception.

NFC Payments 

Near Field Communication (NFC) is a communication protocol technology. It facilitates communication by two devices based on a small distance. 

This simple, yet spectacular technology is one of the safest methods for enabling contactless payment options. This is a new way of transforming the payment options for the people around the world and is growing explosively. According to an international survey, the international contactless payments market is expected to reach a humongous sum of $139 billion by the end of 2023. 

Drones 

Drones have become one of the most prominent visible technologies of the decade. Used by amateurs and professionals they capture photos and share information. 

Drone companies have started to attach and cast mini sized cameras in the drones. Commercial drones are used to track maintenance schedules and even watering patterns in farms. Drones are constantly being enhanced and changed. The surveillance drone, for example, is shrinking in size and has started its new form, namely nano-drones. 

Underwhelming Technologies

Falling Behind the Expectation

Sadly, not all technologies are guaranteed to succeed. Some of them show initial promise but have not lived up to their potential. Others simply are not growing as fast as initially forecast or conversely, not growing at all.

3D Printing 

3D printing had great hype during its introduction period. Everyone thought of 3D printing as the next household technology. 

It was destined to the ruler of the world. But eventually, the interest and awe in 3Dprinting faded away. Nowadays, a 3Dprinter is in the prototyping stage in many industries. People are yet to witness the greatness of 3D printing in the future. 

m-Commerce

The time of introducing technology is a crucial factor in making the technology successful. m-Commerce doesn’t hit the mark because the technology was future-bound and was well ahead of the time. 

During the beginning of the 21st century, more than half of Americans had access to mobile phones. It was a great opportunity for mobile commerce to flourish. But, the limitations of mobile phones were the main reason for the restriction of the development of Mobile Commerce. 

With the introduction of smartphones, mobile commerce has started its developmental stage. The field is slowly showing its improvement and will grow to a great extent shortly.  

Digital Video Broadcasting

Digital Video Broadcasting had been a dream to many filmmakers and independent producers. Production companies opposed technology as it could crash the movie market. Therefore, they strongly opposed the idea. With the introduction of Netflix and other online broadcasting stations aboard, this technology is growing.

Future – What’s the Next Heartthrob?

2019’s Hype cycle is set to release later this year. There are many guesses and predictions on what will make the race. 

With the trajectory curves from last year, search volume and other technological reports, 5G technology seems to be a strong competitor. As telecom networks continue to grow and deploy the towers needed to enable this, more manufacturers will release equipment suited for 5G. 5G could change many things we’ve grown accustomed to and could usher in changes (driverless cars) we’ve only dreamed about.