TNS has revealed ten trends set to disrupt the technology landscape in China and beyond over the next five years. The research firm identified these trends based on ‘World of Convergence’: an extensive study of over 5,900 people in China to understand what they seek from gadgets and tech services.
1.Selfie phones? We’re just getting started…
HTC may have become the first smartphone manufacturer to put its best camera on the front of the handset – but there’s still plenty of scope for perfecting the ‘selfie phone’. TNS predicts that smartphone manufacturers will fight for positioning on their products' ability to deliver idealized self-images.
2.Music – the next wearable battleground
Music fans demand streaming tunes from services like Spotify and Pandora, and not necessarily on bulky fragile smartphones. TNS predicts that the next generation of wearable technology will focus on eliminating wires and tethering to smartphones, thus removing poor network connectivity and other frustrations from the mobile music experience.
3.Gamify your life
Convergence applies to activities as much as it does to devices – and ‘play’ has already proven the most potent ingredient to weave into digital products. TNS predicts that gamification will take on a major role in the next generation of mobile technology. Fitness and health applications as well as productivity solutions will benefit from heightened employee engagement – by helping make tedious tasks fun.
4.Disruption in a docking station
Among low-income consumers in emerging markets, the smartphone is now the single go-to device for watching video, making payments, or texting friends. TNS predicts that smartphones will take share from conventional computers as their processing power and multi-tasking capabilities improve. Keyboard docking stations and other interfaces will transform smartphones into simple desktop PCs.
5.Modular computers
Another major threat to PCs and laptops: the difficulty and expense in upgrading or replacing them. Consumers are less likely to invest in technology if they believe it will become obsolete quickly. TNS predicts that modular computers will provide a solution – expect memory, batteries, and screens that can easily be swapped out without the need for specialist knowledge or tools.