By Luca Rossi, President, Smart Devices Business Group, Lenovo
The changes brought to the world by the epidemic last year have led to the creation of more technological developments and solutions to help people better cope with the challenges and thrive in the midst of change. Technology, as the primary driver of life change, will reshape the world of tomorrow. Lenovo recently released predictions that the following tech trends will have a long-lasting positive impact in 2022 and beyond.
Trend 1: Home office upgraded to work anywhere
Lenovo has been continuously focusing on the development of mobile convenience, user and customer experience, and as decentralized and flexible work models continue to spread, the level of intelligence and flexibility of the future office will be even higher. Employees and companies are no longer limited to work in the office, hybrid office to promote flexible changes in work time and space, the future work mode from home office upgraded to office anywhere. Lenovo's latest research shows that 83% of IT executives expect half of their work to be done through non-traditional office methods. Technology will play a pivotal role in realizing efficiencies and creating new opportunities that will revolutionize the way people work and live, including:
More products, solutions, and services designed to enhance the office experience, the role of the office as a place for teamwork, and the home office as a place for employees to have their own workspace. New office designs and audio-visual technologies serve the flexibility to set up meetings and make social connections.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) creates thoughtful work environments for employees, such as eliminating background noise from video calls, such as barking pets, ambulance sirens, and construction next door.
Augmented Reality (AR) creates immersive workplace experiences for employees, such as the ThinkReality A3 Smart Glasses, which support interactive training and multi-screen environments to increase productivity anywhere, anytime.
Virtual Reality (VR), Natural Language Processing, Spatial Audio, Sensors, Live Cameras, and Lenovo's suite of Intelligent Collaboration Tools will change the way that people interact with technology and each other, maximizing the functionality of the workplace, enhancing the work experience, and improving work efficiency. The value of "people" and "technology" is integrated.
Enterprises are investing more of their budgets in improving their IT infrastructures to meet the growing demand for IT. Enterprises are adopting outsourcing and managed services through the Device as a Service (DaaS) IT procurement model to accelerate the pace of digital transformation. More organizations are choosing on-demand, pay-as-you-go service models. With system support from vendors or cloud service providers, organizations can focus more on business results. Last year, one of the reasons for the growth of DaaS was the need for organizations to save costs. This year, reducing complexity may be the driving force behind the growth of as-a-service and managed service models.
Trend #2: Traditional passwords will be replaced and data will be more secure
Traditional passwords are based on what people are used to, but today many apps and devices require users to change their passwords so often that remembering passwords is a problem for most users. In the future, people will no longer need to memorize and use traditional passwords, and data will be more secure. By no longer creating, memorizing, storing, and recreating alphanumeric strings of passwords on a regular basis, information will not be stolen by phishing tactics or leaked in network transmissions. Passwords will no longer be bought and sold, large password vaults will no longer be hacked, and the risks associated with password **** sharing, reuse, and human error will disappear.
Artificial intelligence and cutting-edge sensing technologies will drive the ubiquitous use of seamless authentication. Just like security technologies for accessing mobile banking apps and multiple authentication (MFA), Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)-based devices are more secure, helping to reduce people's reliance on app and device passwords. Personalized passwords, enabled by biometrics such as fingerprint, face, iris, and voice authentication, are more secure than traditional passwords.
Trend #3: Technology for Good, Promoting Sustainability
In the process of launching sustainable products and services, technology continues to help companies to be smart and sustainable, to build a better future for everyone, and to protect the Earth, our ****s home. -We will continue to build a better future for all of us and protect the Earth, the home that we all share.
Sustainable materials, including recycled plastics, fibers, and metals, materials that decompose on their own (e.g., bioplastics, etc.), and materials derived from renewable resources (e.g., bamboo, etc.), are commonly used in the development and manufacture of products to shorten the cycle time of products and optimize the ever-growing recycling system and supply chain. The rise of sustainable materials will also minimize the need for chemicals in the manufacturing process, helping manufacturers meet their carbon neutrality goals. Lenovo will provide a variety of services and solutions to help organizations reduce the environmental impact of manufacturing, and IT providers will play a more significant role in supporting organizations to achieve their sustainability goals.
New technologies such as future AR/VR glasses will also help organizations reduce their carbon footprint. For example, new technologies and features allow telecommuters to be fully engaged in their work - reducing travel and enabling a low-carbon office. Near-eye displays and head-mounted sensors could be great for people with disabilities. Near-sighted people can easily use PCs and smartphones with adjustable optical zoom and magnification. Display devices respond to voice and motion sensors, allowing interaction without any movement. In addition, technology infinitely expands the possibilities of office locations, and brainiacs living in big cities can work from anywhere. Organizations can rethink and expand the range of workplaces for their employees, providing office resources and flexible hours for those who want to work remotely.
Trend #4: Displays will play a more important role
Displays will have all the necessary features for both the office and the home office, and will receive more attention as the next-generation office center.
Users seamlessly multi-task with single and multi-screen window controls through smart hardware and intuitive software applications embedded in the display. The displays also provide easy-to-use remote asset management capabilities for IT managers and customer service representatives.
With 5G or Wi-Fi 6, the monitors of the future have higher resolution, new aspect ratios, built-in technology to reduce visual fatigue, faster speeds, wireless designs to reduce desktop clutter, and smaller, thinner sizes so that users can use multiple monitors simultaneously. In addition, the displays can support devices other than PCs, such as smartphones and game consoles.
Trend #5: Folding technology for portable devices
As displays play a larger role in the office, portable and foldable displays will become more popular, with OLED technology making folding, bending, and curling of displays a reality.
Lenovo expects this market to explode, with some analysts predicting 500% growth in the flexible display market over the next five years.
Mobile devices are driving the development of flexible technology and price reductions, with more mobile devices adopting flexible displays, such as smartphones, tablets, PCs, and laptops, as well as digital signage, public ****transportation displays, and smart appliances.
Trend #6: More intuitive and smarter input
The introduction of computers has led to a series of disruptive products, such as operating systems, monitors, and mice. These inventions created unprecedented new opportunities, but there has been no breakthrough with the keyboard as the primary input method.
At last, a new type of input is being developed, with innovations in input products, forms, and functions, and more touch-based intuitive interfaces; stylus pens with haptic feedback; and speech-to-text functionality that will become a necessary feature of the new "keyboard".
Disruptive innovations are on the horizon, with traditional keyboards disappearing altogether, to be replaced by mainstream technologies based on tactile on-screen keyboards (OSK), predictive artificial intelligence, and machine learning (ML), where AI learns the user's habits and writes the text, allowing communication with just a few keywords. These redefined input technologies open new paths for communication, collaboration and creativity across disciplines such as business and education. Communication will keep pace with "what you think is what you say" and manual typing will be a thing of the past.
Trend #7: Technology as the guardian of "health and wealth"
The telemedicine industry has accelerated in the wake of the pandemic, as consumers and healthcare professionals try to accept and embrace new ways of delivering care. Lenovo expects the healthcare sector to continue to move toward digital transformation, especially as wearables, voice assistants, and enhanced connectivity technologies become the norm. Health insurance will become more targeted, predictive modeling will enable preventative medicine, and wearables will be able to proactively provide health advice.
Healthcare professionals, assisted by AI, will provide personalized virtual services to patients in telemedicine, achieving more accurate and better quality care. Virtual care is increasingly playing a role in remote inpatient rounds and remote home care, allowing patients to "have a doctor to talk to". Telemedicine services can also help healthcare professionals monitor patients' health, counsel them through treatment, and answer health and life-related questions. Healthcare workers will also benefit from more efficient clinical workflows, assessment tools, and workstation solutions.
Advances in artificial intelligence will advance precision medicine and targeted medicines to personalize the healthcare experience. For example, in the pharmaceutical space, researchers can apply AI analytics to genome sequencing, medical sensors, electronic health records (EHRs), and other data on individuals with the same diagnosis to better target drug therapy. This will support healthcare professionals in identifying subgroups of patients with genetic defects and, in turn, developing targeted medications to improve outcomes.
Trend #8: Ambient Computing Everywhere
The IoT continues to evolve and mature, driven by improved user input models from device manufacturers. Natural language processing (NLP) and multi-camera combination camera capabilities will enhance the user experience, with multiple devices collaborating to respond to the same voice query. Sensor improvements give users more ways to interact with devices, such as scrolling, selecting, or providing feedback to the device.
Improvements in the user interface make the device interaction experience more natural and secure. In the future, the Internet of Everything will target not just Internet-enabled cars, but cities or anything.
Lenovo predicted last year that 5G technology would transform personal computing power, and has been working to improve the connection and transmission speeds of 5G and Internet technologies such as Wi-Fi, which can be loaded with more content. With nanotechnology, device makers are integrating countless components into compact products to deliver more portable and superior Internet products.
Trend #9: Entertainment More engaging audiovisual experiences
Real-time rendering has reached photorealistic benchmarks, and new interactive movies have emerged that allow the user to experience the story from the character's point of view. High-end PC games already have this capability, with users choosing different options to influence the plot and experience theater-quality effects. In the near future, the entertainment space will evolve from passive to interactive experiences.
As immersive content moves to smaller screens, more affordable wearable displays are emerging and extending to PCs and phones. Not only do the displays offer a larger screen viewing experience compared to cell phones, they also allow users to enjoy private viewing in a public ****ing setting. We are one step closer to the metaverse.
Curlable displays will completely change the way people entertain themselves by "popping up" the display on the way to work or wherever they are to enjoy an unrivaled viewing experience, and then curling it back into the storage device when not needed. The monitors of the future will be able to assist with telecommuting, as well as serve as entertainment centers, gaming centers, social centers, and provide the best quality audiovisual experience.
Mixed reality experiences that allow users to feel more engaged while watching entertainment and bring the talk show stage into the home will thrive.
Trend 10: Unlimited experiences, more than just gaming
Lenovo predicts that the future of gaming will be as immersive and enjoyable as mass entertainment. Portable displays and operating systems have evolved further, with higher performance and more affordable prices.
More technologies support high-fidelity, low-latency images for a more immersive gaming experience, and users can feel real physical movement when wearing a gaming headset. Not only that, but as AR technology matures, gamers can set up their gaming venues at home and experience the magic of playing tennis in their living rooms. The meta-universe experience will continue to expand, and the future of gaming, socializing, and shopping will be based on the same platform, with complex and large-scale software combining these three experiences to provide players with a more complete and enjoyable gaming experience.
We need to be patient in the face of these exciting future tech trends, and while we will have made some progress by 2022, it will still take time for products and features to be finalized.