Smartphones are slowly fading out. For more than a decade, the world has seen numerous uses of this versatile device. Yet, it is going to become obsolete in the time to come.
The small device was capable of doing almost anything and everything you could ever want, starting from banking to gaming. However, it’s the fate of every technology to come and go, and the same shall be for smartphones.
Lately, due to slower technological improvements, people are barely upgrading their smartphones. As a result, smartphone sales declined by 6.8% in the third quarter of 2021. Now, tech giants like Apple, Google, and Microsoft are on the hunt for the next big platform. So, what’s next?
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What the Next Big Tech Platform Looks Like
The tech industry’s next big thing may be “extended reality”.
Extended reality is a term referring to all immersive technologies. It encompasses virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), and all those that are yet to be developed.
So, it isn’t just VR and AR that may be the current big tech platform but XR (extended reality) as a whole. Today, almost every big tech firm is rushing toward developing VR and AR headsets while some have already started selling.
According to Meta’s Q4 2021 earnings report, Quest 2 sales earned a total revenue of $2.3 billion across the four quarters. Additionally, its next high-end headset, named Cambria, may get launched this year.
Microsoft HoloLens 2, released on November 7, 2019, is now being pitched to businesses. Google is supposedly working on building its AR headset, called Iris. Even Apple is reported to launch its very first AR headset by 2023.
Are VR and AR the Next Big Platform?
Well, it can’t be said. Silicon Valley’s latest idea of the next big platform is still a work in progress.
Back when the tablet market was seen surging, they were considered archrivals of smartphones. But fast forward to today, Apple earns more by selling iPhones than iPads.
Similarly, in-car tech, which was seen as another possible next big platform, hardly became the center of people’s digital life. So, chances are the AR and VR technology may also be constrained to a specific niche.
But, what seems to have started and is in progress is the gradual tilting of consumers toward wearable devices. It includes smartwatches, voice-activated smart headphones, and a wide range of health-tech gadgets.
In the States, the sales of wearable devices are already getting closer to smartphones and will most likely increase by mid-2023. However, these gadgets are just accessories and not smartphone replacements.
Final Words
As people’s focus is shifting away from smartphones now, it’s easy to imagine the current technology trend being the next big thing. However, people didn’t ditch their laptops a decade ago, and they might not do the same with smartphones.
But, the big question is how well are we going to protect our privacy with this progression in technology? And, are people going to interact more with advanced tech instead of the real world then? Hopefully, people entering into the intelligent future don’t negatively affect society.