According to news on January 1, in the past 2022, technology companies such as Meta, Amazon, and Snap have laid off employees on a large scale, the cryptocurrency exchange FTX went bankrupt, and Elon Musk acquired and took over Twitter. Not even the most amazing prophet could have foreseen all of them.
As we head into 2023, the tech industry will continue to be full of surprises. We expect certain things to make people’s lives easier, such as better smart home technology and artificial intelligence (AI) tools; certain things to create new challenges, such as Netflix’s crackdown on password sharing; Trends are still unpredictable, just like Elon Musk’s behavior and cryptocurrency trends.
The US media has predicted major technological events that may occur in 2023:
- Metaverse is no longer only Meta
In the past two years, we all thought that virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) would take off, and the results were not as expected. But in 2023, we believe people will have more VR or AR headsets to choose from. These headsets aren’t just coming from Meta, which currently accounts for 90 percent of the VR market, according to market research firm IDC.
In January, HTC will unveil a new VR headset, similar to Meta’s Quest Pro, with an external camera so people can see colorful digital objects overlaid on real space.
Then there’s Apple, with many analysts and media reports pointing to our long-awaited mixed reality headset coming later this year. The device is said to feature an array of cameras, a high-resolution display and immersive versions of FaceTime, Maps and other apps. An Apple spokesman declined to comment.
Meanwhile, Meta will continue to explore the legged Metaverse. In the new year, the company plans to add legs to its current avatars, and will also release the next-generation Meta Quest, its more affordable VR headset.
- Tech giants tighten their belts
Tech companies and their investors are grappling with the industry’s worst recession since 2008, with layoffs and hiring freezes at tech companies large and small as a result. The personal computer and chip industries have been hit hard by more than two decades of steep sales declines. While many survivors of past tech downturns have preached that layoffs should be deep, fast and early, the pain for tech workers looks set to continue into 2023.
For consumers, almost all hardware products are discounted. However, Apple may continue to increase the price of subscription services.
John Chambers, who ran Cisco during the tech bubble, recently quoted Jack Welch in an interview: “You don’t have a great company unless you have a near-death experience.” company.” At that time, Cisco was once the world’s most valuable company. Hundreds of tech companies may soon be testing this adage.
- Netflix cracks down on account sharing
People who frequently use other people’s accounts beware, Netflix will start cracking down on password sharing in early 2023. Netflix said only “people who live under the same roof” can use an account. This means that, technically, kids who are away for college will also need to subscribe to its service themselves.
After a rare drop in subscribers, the company has begun testing a new subscription method in some Latin American countries: Subscribers need to make a residence their “home” if they watch Netflix shows in any other location for more than two weeks. An additional $2.99 per month will be required for a “new home”.
Netflix said it would enforce its U.S. rules based on IP addresses, device IDs and account activity, and charge for additional “sub-accounts” for slightly less than the cost of its cheapest ad-supported plan, according to people familiar with the matter. , or $6.99 per month.
Netflix was the first streaming company to enforce the policy. Still, password sharing is a problem for all services, said Paolo Pescatore, a technology and media analyst at strategic consultancy PP Foresight. Perhaps Netflix’s rivals are waiting to see the outcome of their crackdown. A big risk, Pescatore said, is that disgruntled subscribers decide to quit Netflix.
- AI really comes in handy
In our predictions for 2022, we missed a lot of big things, like AI’s breakthrough moment. Last year, OpenAI gave nontechnical public AI tools to replicate human tasks like writing and image creation. Its Dall-E 2 AI art generator can generate images of almost anything we need. Its ChatGPT chatbot can write letters, articles, and even literature that has been vetted by the Associated Press.
Over the next year, AI will find its way into many more tech tools we already use. Microsoft, one of OpenAI’s investors, is starting to integrate Dall-E 2 into Bing search and other products. Meta has demonstrated Make-A-Video, a research project that converts text prompts into videos. Google is also reportedly exploring launching an AI chatbot.
Such an extension would reveal the AI’s main shortcoming: It looks a lot like a human, but because it’s trained on certain data sets, it’s prone to errors and bias. Behind the scenes, AI researchers will quickly figure out how to augment these datasets to improve their overall quality.
- Headphones add health functions
This year promises to be a big one for hearing health. The over-the-counter hearing aids hit store shelves in October, following approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in August. People with mild to moderate hearing loss can now save a lot. Philippe Jorgensen, vice president of hearing at Jabra, said that Lexie, Jabra, Eargo and Sony have all launched similar products, and more companies are expected to enter the market in 2023.
Consumers will also see more hearing aid options, Jorgensen added, with high-end headphones featuring common features like active noise cancellation and easier pairing with phones.
Meanwhile, 2023 could also be a big year for headphones as fitness-tracking devices. There are already health sensors in many existing headsets. Amazfit’s PowerBuds can track heart rate, and the Pro version can monitor posture. Honor’s Earbuds 3 Pro include a temperature sensor.
In 2023, expect more headphones with similar capabilities, one of which may come from Apple. The company is working on sensors built into AirPods that can read body temperature and monitor posture. The second-generation AirPods Pro arrived in September with improved battery life and sound, but no health features.
- Cryptocurrencies are not dead
Cryptocurrencies have always been viewed with suspicion, and there has been a barrage of bad news about them. However, the collapse of the most trusted exchange does not mean the end of cryptocurrencies.
As the value of bitcoin and other popular cryptocurrencies plummets, the legal use of cryptocurrencies is dwindling, but cybercriminals appear to have found new targets. They took aim at venture-backed decentralized finance startups that aim to disrupt the traditional financial world. According to blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis, these DeFi companies accounted for around 80% of all stolen cryptocurrencies.
Almost the entire ransomware industry relies on the existence of cryptocurrencies, which are used to pay ransoms. While there are plenty of online cryptocurrency casinos, this helps circumvent certain local rules. But 2022 shows that cryptocurrencies as a whole are huge casinos.
That means we might not have another wave of Super Bowl crypto ads in 2023. It also means that you’re less likely to hear about your neighbor investing all of his disposable income in an altcoin you haven’t heard much about.
- The smart home just got easier
The tech giants are often fierce rivals, but they all agree: Building a smart home is a painful process.
Apple, Samsung, Google, Amazon, and nearly 300 companies collaborated on the protocol, called Matter. It’s like bluetooth where all the devices can recognize and talk to each other. You can use Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s HomeKit, or Google’s Assistant to control any of the IoT smart lights, plugs, thermostats, and more in your home. Installation should be as easy as scanning a code.
Following the launch of the Matter Protocol in November, there is a mishmash of products available for purchase today. Google’s Nest and Amazon’s Echo received updates. New products continue to arrive, too, like a hub that converts Ikea’s existing smart lights and speakers into Matter. Still, many apps and devices won’t be ready until 2023. Lighting maker Philips Hue hasn’t updated yet.
It will take a while, maybe more than a year, to resolve Matter. For example, setting up a Matter-enabled device to work on two different platforms involves a long line of code and other operations. There are no Matter security cameras or other more sophisticated smart home products yet. Still, if you’re buying smart appliances in 2023, you’ll need to make sure they support the Matter protocol.
- Social media upheaval
No matter what you think of Elon Musk’s politics, management style or tweets, one thing’s for sure: He’s rapidly changing the face of social media.
Elon Musk handed over internal data and documents to authorities who tweeted “Twitter files.” He restored banned accounts on Twitter, including that of former President Donald Trump. He fired most of the staff Twitter relied on to monitor and moderate content. By doing so, Elon Musk has delivered on many of his promises. Twitter is still big and has massive reach, and it has now shed many of the content silos that predominate on mainstream platforms.
It’s unclear what Twitter will look like in a year’s time. Maybe it will become the town square of the world and become a successful business. Or, it could be owned by creditors or swamped by fines from regulators. But it pushed many users to successors, including Mastodon and a bunch of startups. Elon Musk’s sneer at power structures in technology, news and politics could make 2023 the funniest year social media has ever seen.
9.iPhone RE (regulatory version)
Apple is likely to launch the iPhone RE in 2023, a device that could change its design due to new EU legislation.
First up is the USB-C charging port. A recently passed EU law requires electronic devices sold in the bloc of 27 countries to have common interfaces from 2024. While Apple has moved to using USB-C on Macs and iPads, iPhones have used the proprietary Lightning connector since 2012.
Apple says the company will comply with the legislation, the question is when? Reports suggest that the 2023 iPhones will make the switch.
In addition, users can also download apps from places other than the Apple App Store. According to reports, a new EU law aimed at increasing competition requires Apple to make technical changes to support third-party app stores. It was previously reported that the company was discussing internally whether the change would be for Europe or the wider global market.
An Apple spokesman declined to comment on the changes.
