When it comes to modern tech, the last few years were mostly filled with plans, hype, and pilot projects. As big brands implemented their first augmented reality and distributed ledger solutions without much ado, these and other technologies still needed time to reach higher adoption rates.
Now, it seems the wait is over. Whether it is artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, or distributed technologies, 2019 will see enterprises put the majority of advanced technologies to use, sometimes in a single solution. On top of that, new tech categories will emerge to address consumer demands and arising global challenges.
In other words, it is going to be an exciting year for technology.
Join us as we explore the technology trends for 2019 below.
Augmented Reality Trends
In 2018, as the hype around augmented reality (AR) died down, enterprises started either testing or implementing AR solutions. The plans have resulted in ambitious projects on both the back and front end, as companies discovered that AR can bring huge benefits to their operations and customers almost instantly.
As more business recognise the value of AR, 2019 will see even more impactful and exciting products across the industries.
Augmented reality trends will unfold in two major areas.
Enterprise AR: solutions that transform the manufacturing line, employee and personnel training, project management, and more.
Infotainment, or informational entertainment. Companies in retail, media, hospitality, and entertainment will leverage AR to create many new and exciting ways to elevate their customer journeys.
This is also reflected in HBR’s report, which states investments into AR will grow significantly over the next three years, primarily in Automotive (Enterprise AR), Media, Retail, and Hospitality (these three will primarily focus on Infotainment AR). Explore more numbers in the chart below.
HBR’s comprehensive research touches on Tech Trends of 2019 in AR
Many of these efforts in AR are not as widely publicised as, for example, Magic Leap, so be sure to look out for trends in augmented reality in more niche, industry-specific publications.
AR headsets is still one of the technology trends to watch in 2019 closely. Microsoft is expected to at least showcase their HoloLens 2, which should get a substantial upgrade of both software and hardware, addressing customer demands. Creatives working with Magic Leap can expect updates that solve device’s existing issues as well (read our review here).
We can also expect new products. Vuzix has already announced they are now selling a consumer version of their Blade glasses at CES 2019, and, as in 2018, new headsets and glasses can be expected to emerge.
Tech Trends 2019: Augmented reality is set to make big strides
Artificial Intelligence/AI Trends 2019
One of the key tech trends for 2019 is that AI will play an increasingly important role in different hardware and software products. Many developers finished tinkering with the technology to see where it fits best, and 2019 will be the year of applying that knowledge and releasing more products where AI is key.
Indicative of this is was once again CES 2019, where different AI trends took center stage. The participating companies showed their artificial intelligence-focussed processors, which means that more and more data scientist will have the hardware to run various types of analytics. In other cases, these products will increase computing speed and are poised to improve workload management.
Meanwhile, brands at CES showed how consumer AI can make TVs and cameras smarter, improving user experience in many devices. Since Apple and Google have been using machine learning (ML) algorithms in their products successfully and without affecting the user, we can expect more and more companies to add AI to their products as well.
Tech trends of 2019 will often converge. This is the case with AI and the Internet of Things (IoT). Companies are planning to create their own AI accelerators, which are often used in data centers and have the potential to be deployed at the edge, according to 2019 technology trends report from IEEE Computer Society. Such developments would allow to use MLin many smart devices in IoT and Industrial IoT (IIoT) platforms. Machine and deep learning algorithms will also help in analysing data coming from IoT sensors, driving decision making and improving predictive maintenance.
Tech Trends 2019: Artificial intelligence will elevate hardware, IoT, and chatbots
Other consumer AI trends include proliferation of AI-driven chatbots and voice assistants. Modern customers enjoy the automation and spot-on efficiency of chatbots, so more businesses across industries will use chatbots with machine learning algorithms to deliver even more tailored user experiences. As for voice assistants, tech giants like Apple and Amazon will continue to improve their offerings and they will become a part of more hardware products in 2019 — voice tech pushes forward to become a thing of its own.
Modern customers enjoy the automation and spot-on efficiency of chatbots, so more businesses across industries will use chatbots with machine learning algorithms to deliver even more tailored user experiences. As for voice assistants, tech giants like Apple and Amazon will continue to improve their offerings and they will become a part of more hardware products in 2019 — voice tech pushes forward to become a thing of its own.
Taking all of the above in to account, big-scale AI adoption is definitely one of the top technology trends for 2019.
Meanwhile, artificial intelligence will be one of the tech trends of 2019 for the healthcare industry, according to Forbes. Due to the widespread shortage of trained medical experts, healthcare will increasingly rely on a multitude of AI systems, including ones that can help detect cancer and heart attacks as well as sophisticated telemedicine solutions.
IoT is one of the top tech trends for 2019
Internet of Things/IoT trends 2019
The number of IoT devices will continue to increase across industries and area, as it has been rising steadily and confidently over last years. There is no sign that this trend will wane in 2019, as companies and devices become increasingly connected to help us simplify and automate tasks, forming platforms and ecosystems big and small.
One of the IoT trends to look out for will unfold in the Enterprise: we can expect Industrial IoT (IIoT) make strides in 2019. IIoT has long proven itself useful to big brands like John Deere, Bosch, and other — with its potential in data-gathering and process transformation. As companies aim at increasingly higher rates of automation and cost-efficiency, installing different IoT sensors for predictive maintenance is one of the best way of achieving that.
We will also see IoT converge more closely with other technologies in Industry 4.0 projects in 2019. IoT platforms will incorporate blockchain and use artificial intelligence to achieve higher levels of automation, security, processing speed, and other. Mobile and cloud will also be part of such projects. This and other IoT industry trends will be facilitated by the arrival of 5G, which will bring greater speed and capacity and lower latency.
Mobile Trends 2019
As mobile has firmly rooted in our routines, our mobile devices will become the heart of consumer IoT. We will use them to control an increasing number of other smart devices, to get new, better, and more mobile-driven services across industries, monitor our health more closely, and experience more and more forms of entertainment.
Tech trends of 2019 in mobile also include across-the-board improvements and upgrades to both hardware and software. For example, we can expect tech giants to elevate ML and AR capabilities, which would result in a slew of new features and better user experiences — although they will be invisible to the user (in case of ML) and simple and few, in case of AR). Better cameras, screens, and other key hardware elements will definitely reach new highs, but we can hardly expect any major innovations here, too. As of now, the line between upgrading and chasing vanity metrics is rather blurry.
Tech Trends 2019: Mobile supersedes TV confidently, but no groundbreaking inventions seem to be on the horizon.
As for other mobile industry trends, 70 percent of consumers watched TV and video on mobile devices in 2017, a twofold increase since 2012. As the number of mobile users only continues to rise, we can expect that more people consume video content on their mobile devices in 2019 and beyond. In addition, mobile ad spend will reach $93 billion in 2019, over $20 billion more than TV spend.
Overall, it is unlikely that we will see any groundbreaking mobile technology trends in 2019.
Cloud Computing & Digital Transformation Trends 2019
In 2018, we finally saw that cloud has become the new normal for the vast majority of companies, followed by cloud-related enterprise roles and delivery models. Therefore, companies who have not fully migrated to cloud will be making the transition in 2019.
Cloud becoming the default also indicates that companies will be performing digital transformation with other technologies — for example, IoT — or at least will be prepared to implement them. Thus, rich Industry 4.0 concepts that converge a multitude of technologies operating in one ecosystem will not seem as unattainable as they might seem (for example multi-purpose drone swarms operating across several operations on blockchain and part of an IoT ecosystem).
With that in mind, trends in cloud computing for 2019 will inevitable involve developing and managing new ways to safeguard those ecosystems. Not every single enterprise would use blockchain, so new encryption technologies may come to the fore.
Tech Trends 2019: Cloud will solidify as the new normal
Distributed Technology/Blockchain Trends 2019
2018 was a critically important year for distributed technologies. The cryptocurrency craze has ended, with ICO projects that brought no real value closing down one after another. Instead, the potential of the technologies behind cryptocurrencies took the spotlight: big players in retail, supply chain, finance, logistics and other industries formed blockchain consortia to solve long-standing issues, elevate security, and become more efficient on a global scale. On top of that, governments around the globe gave green light to distributed technologies, testing them alongside commercial organizations.
So, there is a lot to expect in terms of blockchain trends in 2019. We will definitely see more enterprise blockchain projects and ambitious partnerships. The number of industries adopting distributed technologies will also grow. Advertising will be one of them. According to Forrester,
Over 50 percent of advertisers will use blockchain for supply chain transparency by the end of 2019 to address fraud and viewability issues. In hospitality, chains will work on private blockchains that let them cooperate with other companies in the industry, like tourism agencies, ticket companies, and other.
As cryptocurrency craze is over, blockchain will become one of the top tech trends in 2019 in the Enterprise.
As public blockchain segment has grown from 20 percent in 2017 to 64 percent in 2018, we can expect it to continue going up, as enterprises realise that the potential of distributed technologies can drive digital transformation.
Better stated, blockchain trends of 2019 will not see the return of cryptocurrency craze — it will be the year of blockchain projects that bring real value.
Tech Trends 2019: What Else to Expect
Security — Zero Trust
Zero Trust — a security concept based on the belief that an organization should not trust anything inside or outside their perimeters by default and instead verify everything before giving access its systems — will become standard in the U.S. in 2019, according to Forrester. The U.S. government will adopt Zero Trust as its preferred strategy and guiding concept to all industries. Security issues are critical today, so many enterprises are expected to follow the government’s lead. The concept could expand to European countries already, becoming one of the digital transformation trends worldwide.
Upcoming Tech Trends 2019: resilient tech will help smart cities withstand environmental challenges.
Internet of Bodies, or IoB
IEEE Computer Society has brought to attention this rather intriguing trend. As consumers continue adopting IoT and self-monitoring devices for sports and healthcare, digital pills will join those gadgets.
“Digital pills are entering mainstream medicine, and body-attached, implantable, and embedded IoB devices are also beginning to interact with sensors in the environment,” says the report. “These devices yield richer data that enable more interesting and useful applications.” Still, the report notes that such devices inevitably raise health, privacy, security, and other important concerns.
Resilient Tech
It appears that Koenig coined a new term at CES 2019 — resilient technologies.
These are the tools that will help smart cities natural disasters as well as cyberthreats. As for the first, Koeing brought attention to Watergen, a device that creates water from air, which also won a CES 2019 Best of Innovation Award.
