A lot can happen in 12 months — just ask any politician. And the tech industry is no different: a whirling of constant innovation, much of which burns out before it even takes off.
So what’s here to stay and what will disappear in 2020?
From slick, must-have gadgets to high-profile flops — and how the focus of the industry has started to shift — this is a rundown of the technology that shaped 2019.
Cut the wires
Apple’s wireless earbuds, AirPods, first landed in 2016 but it was this year that the notable white ear ’phones became truly ubiquitous. Who could forget the viral story on how one in five AirPod owners said they had worn them during sex? A new version, AirPods Pro (£249; apple.com), with noise-cancelling tech, have been so in demand that Apple won’t have any in stock until next month. (You should still be able to find them in Three retail stores, however).
The product has had stiff competition though: Beats’ PowerBeats Pro (£219.95; apple.com) and Sony’s WF-1000XM3 wireless in-ear headphones (£197.10; johnlewis.com) both got customers’ seal of approval, whilst Samsung’s Galaxy Earbuds (£139; samsung.com) have adorned many an ear on the Tube.
If you haven’t done it already, it’s time to cut the cord.
Fold up
Samsung set the stage for this year’s big mobile trend — the folding phone — back in February with the reveal of the Galaxy Fold. Huawei followed suit with the Mate X and Motorola came through at the end of the year with its new version of the iconic Razr flip phone, complete with a snazzy folding screen.
However, these models haven’t quite had the reception their creators hoped. The Galaxy Fold faced immediate criticism from reviewers thanks to defective hinges and constant screen flickering. A revamped version is now on sale (£1,900; samsung.com). Hopes are high for the Motorola Razr (price TBA, ee.co.uk). On sale in January, the flip-phone design is a lot easier to use and carry than Samsung’s version.
The folding phone is still a tech niche, but let’s hope 2020 has some fun in store for this new form of smartphones.
Green genies
Sustainability has long been dominating trends in fashion and beauty but it took until this year for it to be taken seriously in tech. The latest Mac mini and MacBook Air from Apple are made from 100 per cent recycled aluminium, while Google says all its devices will include recycled material by 2022.
Microsoft launched a pilot to release 825,000 carbon-neutral Xboxes, covering everything from the console’s supply chain to energy use in gamers’ homes. The environmental footprint of the internet still has a lot to answer for but steps are being taken in the right direction to greenify the industry.
High 5(G)
5G arrived in May with the promise that we would finally be able to achieve an internet signal in Waterloo station. Londoners rejoiced! Although the rollout of the next-generation mobile network has taken a while to really get going, it is finally possible to actually check your emails and download a Netflix show on the go in Zone 1, thanks to EE, Vodafone and O2.
You’re a Three customer? The network promises its contracts will be coming next year.
Ticking away
In 2017, relatives around the Christmas table were asking for explanations of Bitcoin. In 2019, you’re more likely to be fielding queries about TikTok.
The short-form video app was formerly known as musical.ly until it was acquired by Chinese tech company ByteDance in 2017. It has reached meteoric heights, with more than 100 million downloads on Android alone, though it’s had its fair share of scandals too. An American teenager whose makeup tutorials also spread awareness of the Chinese government’s detention of Uighur Muslims accused the platform of censoring her.
But the app often serves as a welcome break from some of the other social networks, in part due to the viral challenges that pop up every now and again.This week it’s all about the chair challenge — Cats star Jason Derulo has been trying it out.
That’s one to challenge your grandmother to after Christmas lunch.
