DaVinci predicted flying machines. Arthur C. Clarke imagined iPads. And, Ray Bradbury envisioned earbuds. All of those ideas were way ahead of their time. Now that we are in the year of vision – 2020, let’s consider some of the expert predictions for the coming year in the areas of social, finance, healthcare, tech and the cloud.
SOCIAL
In 2020, The Verge says it’s likely metrics keep dropping off social, people are back as curators leaving algorithms behind, Discord hits mainstream, Facebook’s Oculus hits its prime and Congress legislates misinformation. Oh, and, some experts question whether regulators will seek to break up Facebook and Google. TikTok’s time is up as the new big thing with competition heating up with other short-form video apps entering the market. And, the internet continues to splinter into European, American and Sino-Russian-authoritarian internet, which will limit the size of any one social network.
FINANCE
Hold onto your hats as foldable phones (note not flip) and dual-screen laptops become en vogue and find a niche market as price remains a deterrent, according to The Street’s Real Money. 5G phones will become more available but won’t impact the market. Microsoft stock was strong the last two years, but in 2020, may slow its growth and continue slowing as the majority of its corporate office has migrated over to Office 365. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) sees interest from major internet/cloud giants with lots of cash and with major cloud storage needs and those companies will most likely be the key buyers of AMD’s Rome CPU. And, China starts buying local for chips, hardware and software since the US implemented restrictions.
HEALTHCARE & SCIENCE
Fast Company has many tech predictions, but we’re sticking to healthcare and science. Gene therapy will play an increasing role in the treatment of cancer as the technology was already approved for B Cell treatment and the goal is to use it for other cancers. And, AI will help make medical care less costly while also providing more access to excellent care. A new voice app will allow doctors to actually interact with patients while the virtual assistant takes notes. One expert is betting on biosensing and sees wearables predicting colds, interacting with pharmacies and getting you medicine before you are actually ill.
THE CLOUD
Companies will see the cost savings and safety of using the hybrid cloud and more will turn to it over private cloud in the coming year, according to expert predictions on TechRepublic. Meanwhile, Nextcloud, already the largest on-site deployed solution, is going to have a great year as more companies move toward the hybrid cloud approach. Open source already plays a huge role in the cloud, but in 2020, it’s predicted that by the end of the year it will run completely on open source software. Oh, and to top that, it’s expected that the biggest cloud breach ever will occur putting billions of users’ data at risk, but which could lead to new security features.
TECH
Libra will remain a horoscope sign as Facebook kills plans for its cryptocurrency, according to the folks at Fortune. Protesters afraid of being identified through facial recognition will be using fashion and special makeup, along with masks that look like other people, all designed to confuse the technology. So, may the odds be ever in your favor. Remember when cable was cheap? Sometime around 1982. As streaming gets pricier by the second, it’s expected piracy will make a comeback with people pissed about paying so much and getting “streaming fatigue”. In an election year, I think most folks are hoping we don’t have a repeat of 2016, with hackers impacting results. Hackers beware, you are on the radar of the U.S. Cyber Command. While WeWork was a fail, the office space leases may be taken over by none other than Amazon, who knows a bit about making lemonade.
A few other tech predictions from TechRepublic: An Android smartwatch will triumph over the Apple Watch. Also, Android phones, (Samsung) will lose the notch on the phone, offering full screen phone functionality. And, the Samsung Galaxy S11 will become the must-have device and skyrocket the company into the stratosphere.
So, here’s to 2020. Let’s hope the advances in technology make work smoother, life easier and all of our pocketbooks a little fatter.
What are your tech predictions for the next year?
Mary Ann Lopez earned her MA in print journalism from the University of Colorado and has worked in print and digital media. After taking a break to give back as a Teach for America corps member and teaching science for a few years, she is back with her first love: writing. When she's not writing stories, reading five books at once, or watching The Great British Bakeoff, she is walking her dog Sadie and hanging with her cats, Bella, Bubba, and Kiki. She is one cat short of full cat lady status and plans to keep it that way.
