Sustainability, flexibility and AI are the keywords for the 2021 innovations in the electronic industry.
3 of the 5 trends in 2021 that will dominate the consumer electronics market in the next few years.
Let's see what they are, one by one.
Technology is evolving at a crazy pace and, considering the innovations we see every day, there is no doubt that the future ahead of us will be quite disruptive, to say at least!
The key trends that will dictate the course of the electronics market over the next 5 years, as well as impacting on the lives of innovators and startups trying to create their prototypes, are: multi-function devices, IoT, energy-efficient products, flexible screens, and personal assistants.
One device, multiple functions
The gadgets of the future will be multifunctional and all-in-one. TVs will also become digital photo frames. Fridges will also be used to write shopping lists. The products and technological innovations of the future will not only make our lives simpler, but will also be minimalist in form and essence.
Smartphones, tablets, wearables, notebooks, game consoles, audio systems and Bluetooth headphones for your favorite playlists, drones, large and small domestic appliances.
Nobody wants their house to be cluttered with thousands of devices.
Everyone would prefer a single device with a refined design and multiple functionalities that provides several solutions at the same time, in addition to its original purpose.
IoT and digital centralization
Future devices will not only be inter-connected but will also interact with each other, thanks to the Internet of Things.
The IoT has already made everyday life simpler for many modern families. It has become an integral part of our connected lives, a vision that is not part of a hypothetical distant future but that is ready to enter people's homes right now.
Digital centralization has made it possible to continuously monitor and control our homes (home automation) and improve life in anthropized environments, using a single app or the ever-widening range of products and services compatible with IoT platforms.
IoT interactions will become increasingly "natural" and our smart devices will become so perfectly integrated into the fabric of our lives that we will spend less time managing them and more time enjoying them. The different areas of automation (microclimate, energy systems, security, etc.) will be connected to each other and we will be able to manage everything from a single device: it could even be the smartphone your hands right now, for example.
Energy-efficient products
Given the increasing concern over carbon emissions and wasteful energy consumption on Earth, energy efficiency has become a critical field and attracted a lot of attention. Just think that by 1 August this year (2018), the world had already consumed the amount of terrestrial energy available; anything beyond that represents "unsustainable exploitation" of the resources offered by the planet. This is known as Overshoot Day.
As a result, electronics companies are starting to develop green and efficient technologies and are redesigning their product range to reduce management costs, focusing in particular on environmental sustainability.
Players in the consumer electronics sector are committed to helping consumers achieve greater energy savings thanks to their eco-friendly innovations that emphasize sustainability.
An excellent example of this is the xFarm platform, an online app that enables farms to improve the management of their land, machinery, and assets in general. It also offers the option to connect your account to one or more environmental stations (xSense), which help farmers to monitor crop trends, as well as to predict growth stages, diseases, and irrigation needs, thus significantly optimizing profits and reducing management costs.
Energy-efficient products not only help people save money, but are also environmentally friendly.
Flexible screens
Televisions, smartphones and wearable devices have evolved over the years to provide consumers with an exceptional visual experience, acting as a centralized, inter-connected smart hub to improve everyday life.
In the future this devices might have a totally flexible size, according to user situations. Imagine to experience a digital newspaper or a website on a full-size screen, that you can then simply fold and put in your pocket. This is the future of personal electronic devices.
Personal assistants
The rise of the silver economy and the development in the artificial intelligence industry, have triggered a revolution in the area of personal assistance.
Combining IoT, virtual reality, AI, and robotics, smart assistants are playing a key role in streamlining the consumer experience.
From simple shopping assistants, to actual caregiver for elderly people, the trajectory of this innovation seems to be set. Will we ever have totally intelligent cyborgs that take care of us and our homes? It's too early to say, but we're confident that the answer will be yes.
Technology, along everything it touches, is without a doubt bringing about paradigm shifts in the way we lead our lives and, observing these trends, we can be sure that the future holds plenty of innovations in this field. Out of the fields of interest we have analyzed, the main focus must still be on offering eco-friendly innovations and developing technological products that emphasize sustainability.
