What are the top IT trends that are worth watching out for in 2012? The upcoming Consumer Electronics Show (CES) will showcase some of these trends, but with 140,000 attendees stepping over each other’s feet, you don’t want to be caught there. Plus, who can say no to a nice preview? Here are 10 IT trends to watch out for in 2012.
1. Windows 8 Handhelds
We’ll be seeing several major handheld manufacturers, especially Nokia, HTC and Samsung releasing Windows 8 devices in 2012. In a mobile world dominated by Apple and Android headlines, this should make for a welcome change. 2012 is big time for Windows 8 and Windows phones, which will totally dispel the current notion of Microsoft as a primarily PC software company.
2. UltraBooks
What do you call super-slim, super-light notebooks? They’re called ‘UltraBooks’. The new name for this version of notebooks is Intel’s brainchild, to compete with the MacBook Air. Therefore, the rather expensive, but extremely compelling new UltraBooks, kept slim by the use of SSD are the new laptops.
3. Next Gen Tablets
Major companies such as Lenovo, Toshiba, ViewSonic and Acer are all bringing out state-of-the-art tablets in 2012, delivering a huge whammy to Apple’s iPad. Nvidia’s quad-core Tegra 3 processors will find their way into some brand new tablets as well, so look out. These new tablets have everything including quicker multitasking, fabulous video playback, never before seen 3D gaming visuals, fabulous interface swiping – you name it. Google won’t be far behind either – we’ll also see tablets running Jelly Bean (Android 5) and Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4).
4. Advanced 4G Networks
2012 will see 4G networks whose speed which put home broadband connections to shame. AT&T and Sprint, whose LTE 4G phones by Nokia (Nokia Ace, otherwise called the Lumia 900) may jolly well be the answer to the latest Windows phones. We’ll see how it goes between LTE and Android and Windows 8 phones.
5. Mobiles Rival Desktop Computers
After 2012, if you own a good tablet or a great smartphone, you might not even need a computer. Powerful mobile chipsets are coming up, ones that are watchful of battery life. If we saw dual-core chipsets last year such as Nvidia’s Tegra 2, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processor and Apple’s A5 chip, this year brings in quad-core chipsets. These new chipsets give mobiles power that equals that of desktops.
6. Cloud-Based Technology Comes Into Homes
Cloud-based technology is not just for tech companies and their high-end software solutions anymore. The technology allows users to connect home and mobile devices with various media options, such as cloud-based music, gaming and much more. This makes the media platform independent. For example, you can play a game on your smartphone while traveling and continue to play it on Facebook when home on your computer and then play the same thing on TV.
7. Cars Go The Sci-Fi Movie Way
Many car manufacturers are adding communication and media technology to their vehicles, such as mobile applications. These turn car dashboards into full-fledged computers. Mercedes-Benz, GM, Ford, and Audi will demonstrate some of these technologies at this year’s CES. With this technology, you’ll be able to interact with other cars, pedestrians and traffic lights while driving. You can also synch your music and schedule from home and plan routes using MapQuest.
8. Mobile Commerce Using Near Field Communication
The near field communication technology for mobile phones transform your smartphone into a digital wallet. Stores can preload your phone with store credit and you can just buy whatever you want without taking out your credit cards. GPS is used to alert people with regard to promotions nearby, and mobile apps are used to help people redeem coupons without printing them out. The Google Wallet application turns your smartphone into a credit card, plus loyalty points manager.
9. Increasing Emphasis On Mobile Social Gaming
Facebook’s mobile apps have taken mobile gaming to another level, and the fast new tablets are replacing gaming consoles. Casual gaming is further enhanced by cloud media services, which make it possible for a person to enjoy casual mobile social gaming on multiple devices. For the casual gamer, accessing fast and great quality games on handheld devices, plus the ability to connect with large user bases are the ticket. Google + and Zynga going public have only taken casual social gaming to a higher level.
10. Internet-Based Live TV
Several major international TV networks are cooking up internet-based TV using iWanTV services. 2012 might see a decline in cable TV as more and more people choose to catch TV programming on their computers and handhelds, while on the go. All the top streaming channels will get a growth boost out of this, such as Bloomberg TV, YouTube Live and so on.
This article is written by Dean from landing page and ecommerce conversion optimization company Invesp.