Technology: Is the tech race the new rat race?

Let’s have a look at the technological playgrounds that have much to offer and those that are at the end of the innovation cycle.

5. The cellphone

The cellphone technology is all but done now, although Samsung is turning things around with the Galaxy Z Flip and Galaxy Fold, which are just amazing to say the least. All we are looking forward to is camera quality, storage and speed: maybe one day we will have a cell-phone that has an i7 processor.

4. Home appliances

Well, the fact that even after so many years there are people who have not been exposed to a fridge that can connect to the internet is something to take note of (maybe it is just a digital divide). If you can stomach the fact that smart TVs now actually work like cellphones then you will understand why this technology is much better than cellphones of late. The smartest TV I have seen is programmed with Apple software (Apple TV) and android (Samsung) so what this means in a nutshell is that we can access app stores to download apps so there is no need for a satellite dish to connect like back in the day…

3. Personal computing

At this very moment the CORE i7 8th Generation Processor is as good as it gets when it comes to laptops and PCs — whether it is an Apple MacBook, a Lenovo or an HP — computers are on number 3 because it is easy to distinguish a better laptop from an otherwise average one based on speed, storage, ergonomic pleasure, and of course the price.

2. Banking

Our banking industry in South Africa is one of the best there is. The only reason you might go into a bank branch? To sign for Power Of Attorney? (if you don’t have a banker) or to change a money note that is ripped apart and missing some parts of it – so advanced is the banking industry that when it comes to banking in your hands it is slowly starting to become a rule of thumb.

1. Automobile

Now this is where the real play takes place — think iRobot, Tesla, i8 and Ford Fusion. A Mercedes-Benz S-Class can drive you home without any assistance, Tesla is changing the way we travel by introducing a predominantly electric cars range, BMW and a host of others have been on a successful journey of hybrid and are slowly shifting to electric power reducing carbon emissions in the process. Therefore, this is one technology that looks like an endless fortress for innovation, design and desirability.

So, in essence, cellphones are limited in innovation now, home appliances still have room for advancement, personal computing definitely has some way to go, banking has enormous barriers to bypass, especially security, and the automobile industry has shown that it will definitely go the distance when it comes to innovation.

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