9 wild tech predictions for 2023
The longer you work in the tech space, the more you get a feel for how things could be. It’s like keeping your head on the tracks, listening to the train coming. No one could see it and, even if they dug their heads into the hard and cold metal, they couldn’t even detect a single tremor. But 36 years of listening have refined your senses and now you can hear and feel things that other people can’t. So you get up, squint into the distance, and tell a story about a possible technological future.
Here are nine predictions that range from almost certain to almost fanciful. It is also just a glimpse. Use this set of predictions as a spark for your own predictions.
Streaming Packs
Before the end of next year, consumers will seriously consider a range of streaming packages, which will increasingly resemble the cable TV packages they’ve been trying to get rid of. With dozens of streaming services available and an uncertain economic landscape for both the service (subscribers leave and dry up) and the industry that provides them (entertainment (opens in a new tab)), smaller streaming services can find safe havens for bundles or even consolidation.
May Apple buys Netflix in 2023 (opens in a new tab)? It can afford it, but Disney, which already owns Hulu, and Disney+ are a more likely candidate. Netflix’s interest in the sale may depend in part on the success of its ad-supported option. So far, it has been a little stupid (opens in a new tab), but that could change next year. If it doesn’t and Netflix goes through another cycle of subscriber base uncertainty, it’s possible they’ll strike a deal.
At the very least, we’ll see more internet and cable companies offering even more packages that include all your favorite streamers, just like they’ve done with cable packages for decades. Everything old will come back.
EVs take turns
The entire auto industry is trying to move from the internal combustion engine to the electric motor, and in 2023 we will see new sedans and cars from all the major manufacturers. EV growth in The US lags far behind Europe and China (opens in a new tab) but the advent of the EV . pickup truck from GM (opens in a new tab) and Ford (opens in a new tab) can change that.
Ironically, electric cars that are supposed to help us reverse climate change by not producing harmful emissions to the atmosphere may be more vulnerable to climate events due to change. caused by climate. Hurricane Ian created flooding from salt water that damaged the electric vehicle’s giant lithium-ion batteries (which usually run the entire base of the vehicle) and make them easy to burn (opens in a new tab).
That’s something Tesla, perhaps the world’s leading electric car maker, might want to tackle in 2023. series hole (opens in a new tab) and a CEOs seem to care more about social media rather than the EV brand he built. Elon Musk will have to refocus on Tesla in 2023 to save it and help the entire electric vehicle market move forward.
Bye bye rope
It’s fair to bet we’ll see the first wireless and portless smartphones in 2023. Apple has removed the physical SIM slot for iPhone 14″ phone (in the US) and many believe it can move quickly from Lightning to USB-C port port has no charging port at all. Possibly a variation of iPhone 15could be a rumour Extremelymay ship in some markets without a charging port and instead charges via the included MagSafe charger.
However, Apple may not be ready to make the leap. Surely one or two smaller Android manufacturers could try a portless phone before the end of 2023, if for no other reason than testing the waters.
For that wireless future to happen, we need faster wireless charging. Today’s best wireless charger offers 15W of power and can charge a phone in less than two hours. 2023 could see higher capacity and 45 minutes to fully charge.
Streamline smart home
The biggest story in the smart home space will definitely be Problem. Unfortunately, consumers will spend most of 2023 not understanding or even caring about it. However, if Matter does its job, many people can benefit from it equally.
As more and more smart home gadgets are purchased throughout the Matter-enabled year, consumers may find that the setup and interoperability between their various digital assistants just works. Obviously, this will be a win for Matter and all of its counterparts even if Matter is completely unimportant to consumers.
The only thing that can slow down Matter’s adoption and utility is if there aren’t enough companies to support it Theme (opens in a new tab), low-energy grid technology has combined with Matter to make smart home connectivity faster and easier. I’ve seen too many products that support one (Material) but not the other (Stream).
The social media reset will continue rapidly in 2023 with Twitter dead or under other control, Facebook taking a hiatus from Metaverse, Instagram trying to find itself and TikTok fights the US government without trusting it.
This will leave the field open to the development of several new platforms. Despite its puzzling, mastodons soon took the lead as a Twitter replacement, even though it was not a news platform. I think there might be something new coming up that combines the best of Twitter, the classic photography prowess of Instagram, and the safety and community of early Facebook. Or maybe it was just wishful thinking.
The question is, will our love affair with social media last until 2023? my money is on No.
Fold the apple
I’m almost certain we’ll see some sort of thing Folding iPhone or iPad but I’m not sure it will come out this year. I mean we might get a glimpse of Apple’s planned device at WWDC 2023.
By showing off this next-generation iOS or iPadOS device early, Apple can give developers 18 months to design new apps for foldable and possibly dual-screen iPhones and iPads.
It was not an unprecedented move. I still remember Apple revealing the cylinder Mac Pro at WWDC 2013 and didn’t ship for six months. Perhaps this more radical product move will require more time in the development furnace.
Sustainability is us
One of the biggest stories at CES 2023 won’t involve new gadgets that rejuvenate your face, fold your clothes, or put you in the Metaverse. That will be sustainability and a story that will continue throughout 2023.
It’s a way for companies to talk about climate change without fully addressing it. Instead, they will all use terms like “carbon neutral”, “net zero” and “sustainability”. At least the last one seems to refer to a more habitable planet.
For the first time, we’ll talk about our own home carbon footprint and ask how the products and technologies we use can help us reduce our own emissions. For many people, their efforts can stop outside the door before they consider their first EV (see above). But smart home technology considerations could ultimately be combined with not only cost savings through more efficient technologies, but Matter-based systems that can communicate and create a better and more neutral home energy profile.
On the one hand, I’m excited about the VR and AR advancements I’ve experienced through Meta’s latest Missions helmet. The professional duty shows how far we have come in promoting mixed reality. But as many have pointed out to me, a system that still cannot have virtual objects that interact seamlessly with the real world is far from ideal.
The good news (and bad news) for Meta is that no one cares about the Metaverse. In other words, there’s no rush to build immersive worlds that do everything for everyone at home, work, and play. Instead, Meta will spend 2023 fine-tuning its mixed reality hardware and world-building software while most people still primarily use VR headsets for gaming and exercise.
2023 won’t be the year of Metaverse and it might even skip 2024. I think 2025, with much smaller, lighter hardware as well as 10x better optics and graphics, is the time. Things are finally starting to get interesting.
AI goes to work
Someone will hire the first AI reporter to not only brainstorm ideas based on prompts, but also submit queries, get answers, and compose original stories. An AI will break the news. 2023 will also see the first production phase of an AI-written play. A song written, composed, and performed by an AI will enter the Billboard Top 100.
Major art museums will host AI art shows, and some will hang computer-generated artworks right next to the masters. At some point, no one will be able to tell the difference.
As I said, this is just a narrow view of what will be a very large and busy technological future. I could be wrong about some or all of this, but I bet I would be more right ChatGPT AI. When I asked him about the main technology trends of 2023, he told me about the ones that are already happening, like 5G for smartphones. Maybe I should rethink that whole AI part.