2016’s key tech trends

Prediction is a mug’s game, with wannabe Nostradamuses more often wrong than on the mark. That said, some of the key tech trends for this year are already emerging and it looks like we’re in for an exciting year. Here are my five top picks.

Social media silliness

It was always going to be a safe bet to predict that someone would cause a furore with a horribly ill-considered social media post, but even I was astonished at how quickly this happened and at just how ugly the row turned out to be.

I’m talking, of course, about those racist Facebook posts about festive beachgoers that have hogged headlines – both digital and print – over the past week. I hesitate to give this poisonous bile yet more exposure, but this sorry affair holds important lessons for all of us who spend time online.

You don’t have to say something racist on social media to land yourself in trouble. A snarky quip about a colleague or relative could land you in hot water at work or at home. A good rule of thumb before posting anything online is to ask yourself whether you’d be happy for your boss, your mom and the rest of the world to see it. If not, bite your digital tongue and move on.

Smarter things

This year you can expect to see a plenty of “smart”, internet-connected versions of ordinary objects. There are already several makes of doorbells and locks on the market that allow you to see who’s there and open a door or gate using your phone.

If the gadgets on display at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last week are anything to go by, these will be followed by smart fridges, ceiling fans, smoke detectors, light bulbs and – particularly useful for drought-stricken South Africa – a shower head that alerts you when you’re using too much water.

The big challenge with the so-called Internet of Things is to get all these smart gizmos to talk to each other so you can control them from one device – ideally your phone. I’ve already got three remotes just in my TV room. I don’t need another dozen dotted round the house to control my smart things.

Tech heavyweights like Google, Samsung and Apple have been working on this challenge and, hopefully, this will be the year they solve it.

Connected cars

Car makers have always been terrible at building smart, web-connected tech into their dashboards. Little wonder most of us have given up on them and use our own smartphones, mounted on the dash or windscreen, to navigate and stay connected while on the go.

But this is a clunky, potentially unsafe solution and I’ve long argued that carmakers should ditch their outdated proprietary systems and build “dumb” screens into their dashboards that become smart when they connect wirelessly with the driver’s own smartphone.

Both Apple and Google offer specially tailored versions of their iOS and Android operating systems that achieve this goal. Now, after 18 months or so of half-heartedly testing the waters, this looks to be the year some manufacturers take the plunge and implement versions of this solution.

Last week, Ford, one of the more progressive car makers in this respect, announced it would include support for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay in the latest version of its Sync infotainment platform. It said all next year’s models would come with Sync 3 as standard, and that this year’s models will be able to upgrade to the system later this year. Watch this space for a test drive when Sync 3 lands in South Africa.

Fibre roll-out

After years of frustrating inactivity, last year was a year in which the roll-out of superfast fibre-optic internet connectivity finally started gaining momentum in South Africa. With all the major telecomms players now on the bandwagon, this year should see the pace of fibre installations pick up significantly.

Unfortunately, well-heeled customers in neatly defined areas like gated estates and business parks will continue to get first bite of the fibre cherry, but other suburbs, starting with those adjoining fibre-connected areas, should also start to see the benefits this year, provided there’s enough demand for the service.

Now would be a good time to start lobbying your neighbours on the many advantages fibre offers.

No decoder, no problem

Web-based video on demand services, led by Naspers’ ShowMax, made a splash among tech-savvy South Africans last year. With providers reluctant to provide subscriber numbers, it’s hard to say how the hype has translated into paying customers, but I’m predicting good growth for this sector this year.

The world leader in the field, Netflix finally launched in South Africa on Wednesday night. The added competition this will bring, combined with zero-rated data deals from cellular networks and the aforementioned fibre roll-out, should all help make web-delivered movies and TV shows an increasingly inviting alternative to the expensive, largely satellite-based DStv.

Got any questions or comments? E-mail Alan Cooper at alanqcooper@gmail.com or follow @alanqcooper on Twitter