2014 is coming to an end and technology wise it has been a mixed year in my opinion. In generel, not a lot of mainstream breakthroughs have seen the light of day, but it seems like many industries have been building up this year. Here are 5 Examples:
- Bitcoin (or digital currencies in general) has got support from amazing companies and wild infrastructure in 2014 - but only decline in public interest and value. That is somehow absurd. And I really have no clue when (or if) the western world, where people are kinda happy with their credit cards, will start to adopt this awesome technology.
- Augmented reality has come a lot further with Google Glass as the leading gadget. But definitely no mainstream breakthrough yet.
- Solar energy and Wind Power has gained momentum - actually this might be one of the biggest gains of 2014. I must admit that energy is a field where i need more knowledge. BUT what I do know, is that before we can store energy in a cost-effective way, none of these technologies will replace energy produced by fossil fuels. A lot of research is made, but still no solution.
- Cloud computing is now everywhere. 2014 is probably the year of cloud computing breakthrough - and indeed this is only the beginning.
- Electric cars had a huge boost with the survival/succes of Tesla. I want to thank Elon Musk for bringing bold ideas to market. It is still a premature product - but now its at least a real product that will ignite a market.