As the year is coming to a close we’ve been starting to think about where we see technology going in 2015. Technology is directly tied to marketing, with technological innovations creating new avenues for marketing. Naturally at Superfly we take a pretty big interest in the tech world. So this week I’ve decided to put down my thoughts on where I feel technology will go in 2015.

• Smartphones/Tablets will continue to increase in popularity for web browsing – Over the past few years we’ve seen mobile devices become more and more common for web traffic. This is showing no signs of stopping, with desktop PC’s and laptops becoming less popular for the average person just wanting to surf the web from their sofa. I fully expect this trend to continue, especially with more and more cheaper tablets hitting the market. Owning a smartphone/tablet has become the norm, everyone has them, whether it’s a Tesco Hudl, Google Nexus 9 or an iPad Air, it’s almost beginning to feel like you’re in the minority if you don’t own one these days.
• Smartwatches are the ‘next big thing’ – The other week I spoke about my initial impressions of the Moto 360. The market is still young, but is brimming with potential. I honestly believe smartwatches will be the next major battleground in the tech world. I feel 2015 is the year when this becomes apparent. Smartphone and tablet advancements are beginning to plateau, so it’s only a matter of time before a new market opens up to conquer in the tech world. 2015 will mark the launch of Apple’s first smartwatch, bringing with it a huge amount of attention to the market. Alongside that we’ll see the second generation of Android Wear watches, possibly a new Pebble, and who knows what else. Whilst I don’t think the market will necessarily boom next year, I think there’ll be a lot more eyes, sales and interest towards it.
• Google Glass will take new steps forward – The Google Glass project is an interesting one. Wearables have a lot of buzz around them at the moment, but in the latter half of this year we’ve not heard much news from Google Glass. The idea that a pair of glasses will offer ‘heads up display’ style information sounds like something out of a film… only Glass has made that a reality. The problem is until these devices look the part, they won’t become mainstream. In 2015 I don’t expect these to hit the mass market, but I do think Google will take some steps forward with it. Possibly a 2nd generation of Glass. The idea is sound, it’s something that I believe will become a popular tech product category in the near future, but not quite yet.
• Virtual Reality will finally make an impact – Virtual Reality has started to make rumbles this year, but no device has launched to the mainstream public. I believe 2015 will be the year we see proper Virtual Reality become a reality (excuse the pun). Virtual Reality is incredibly exciting, with the technology finally at the point where creating believable virtual worlds is now possible, the thought of strapping our eyes into these worlds to explore is incredibly exciting. The Oculus Rift is expected to launch in 2015, bringing with it a tonne of excitement and interest in the market. What if you could place yourself in a virtual football stadium to watch a live match from your living room. What if terminally ill people were able to explore the outside world, from the comfort of their bed (this has already happened, and it’s absolutely incredible). Imagine being able to explore a fantastical world in a video game which encompasses your entire vision and hearing. These thoughts are close to becoming a reality, opening up a whole new level of immersion and possibility. This field could potentially have marketing implications too. Finally the technology has reached a point where I feel this could become a mainstream device within the next 5 years. 2015 is the year I believe we’ll see the foundations laid into what will become an extremely exciting area of technology.

Let me know what your technology predictions for 2015 are in the comments below, I’m interested to hear your thoughts!

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