The estimated reading time for this post is 6 minutes
One constant in tech is change and 2015 was no exception. Changes to tech in 2015 included new products and services that may, or may not, become part of our daily lives.
Companies continue to try to bring us “must-have” tech products that will become as useful as computers or smartphones. Whether they succeed may be determined in 2016.
In chronological order, here are 10 ways tech changed in 2015:
Periscope
Twitter brought us live-streaming video with its Periscope app that launched in March 2015 and quickly became popular with celebrities. While other live-streaming apps pre-dated Periscope, they struggled to gain traction.
Periscope had the advantage of being linked to Twitter, which makes finding people to follow on Periscope much easier.
You can download the free app onto your phone, connect to your Twitter account and see which people you follow are also on Periscope.
See videos from around the world. A map shows you where in the world people are broadcasting.
You can also broadcast your life using Periscope from anywhere you have an Internet connection.
=> For more information about Periscope, check out Periscope — Watch What’s Going On in the World!
Apple Watch
April was the time for the long-awaited Apple Watch. Available in models ranging from $349 to $18,000, the Watch connects to an iPhone to deliver notifications, make and receive phone calls and texts, and tell time.
The Watch also works as a fitness tracker and has apps available so you can control music, get stock prices, see weather forecasts and more.
An update to the Watch OS operating system in September brought new watch faces and faster delivery of information from apps.
=> To learn more about the Apple Watch see Getting Started with the Apple Watch.
Google Cardboard
A simple, folded piece of cardboard quickly changed the way people look at the world. Google introduced Google Cardboard in May as an inexpensive way to view virtual reality.
Other virtual reality viewers begin at several hundred dollars but Google Cardboard viewers are sold for around $20. Google even gives you instructions on the Google Cardboard page to build one yourself.
You can use Google cardboard to view videos, play games and see scenes from around the world.
Google is offering schools Google Cardboard viewers for free to use for education as part of the Google Expeditions Pioneer Program. School students can take virtual trips around the world without leaving the classroom.
=> Find out more about Google Cardboard at Google Cardboard – A New Way to View Reality!
Google Photos
Im May Google also launched Google Photos, its free online photo service. Google Photos offers unlimited photo storage, making it a convenient and affordable solution for backing up photos.
In addition to backing up your photos, Google Photos also creates albums and enhances your photos. The service can create stylized images, panoramic photos, collages and videos from your photos.
You can create your own albums and search your photos easily by person, place or date.
You can add photos and view them using Google Photos on your phone, tablet and computer.
Deleting photos from Google Photos deletes photos from all of your devices. This can be a convenient way to keep your photos organized, or a problem if you wanted to keep your photo on your computer but delete it from Google Photos.
=> To learn more about Google Photos, check out Google Photos: Making Magic Happen
Amazon Echo
In June Amazon made its latest gadget available for sale to all: the Echo. Like a voice assistant in a can, the Echo lets you speak your questions and Alexa, Amazon’s voice assistant, will answer.
You can search the Internet, get the weather, find out sports score, control the lights in your home, play music and more.
While some people are uncomfortable with the Echo’s microphone listening constantly to the sounds of your home, other people appreciate the convenience of using their voice to use the Echo. People with physical challenges have appreciated the ease of using voice commands with the Echo.
=> For more information about the Echo, read Amazon Echo — The Knowledge of the World at Your Command!
Apple Music
In June Apple launched its worldwide streaming music service, Apple Music. Available for a free three-month trial period, Apple Music does not offer an unpaid version with ads. After three months is over, Apple Music offers individual and family monthly paid memberships.
Apple Music is available in over 100 countries.
The streaming service has over 30 million songs, plus you can listen to the music you have added to iTunes. Apple Music controls can be confusing (using Siri helps) and initially some people had trouble playing music they added to iTunes. Updates to Apple Music solved some of the initial problems.
First available only for iPhone and iPad, Apple Music launched an Android app in November. The Android app has many of the features of the iPhone app, except for voice control.
=> Learn more about Apple Music at Apple Music – 25 Things You Need to Know
Tesla Autopilot
The days of self-driving cars have arrived with the introduction of Tesla’s autopilot mode in October. What made this feature especially impressive was the fact that it was added as an update to Tesla Model S cars manufactured September 2014 or later.
Tesla cars with autopilot can steer, accelerate and brake at speeds over 18 mph/29 kmh. Double-tap a button and the car takes over the driving for you.
The feature is best used for highway driving, as the car recognizes obstacles and other cars but does not brake for stop signs or traffic lights.
Having faith in the car’s ability to drive itself may take you some time, but the future of driving may be changing.
Check out The Future of Driving – Will Your Next Car Drive Itself? to learn more about Tesla’s autopilot feature.
Tablets Replacing Laptops
Both Microsoft and Apple introduced new large tablets designed to replace laptop computers. Both tablets have a stylus and keyboard.
Microsoft started selling the Surface Pro 4 tablet with a 12.3 in (31 cm) screen two months ago. The Surface Pro 4 runs Windows 10, the same operating system as a computer, making this tablet a true replacement of a computer.
The stylus and keyboard are included with the Surface Pro 4.
Apple introduced its biggest iPad ever in October, launching the iPad Pro with a 13 in (33 cm) screen. Unlike the Surface Pro, the iPad Pro uses iOS, Apple’s mobile operating system, and requires apps to work.
A stylus, called the Apple Pencil, and a keyboard are available, but not included with the iPad Pro.
Data Breaches
One way tech did not change was with continuing data breaches. Companies and government agencies around the world had data stolen, allowing criminals access to personal and financial information.
Large institutions that had data stolen in 2015 include:
- Anthem, the 2nd largest health insurer in the US with over 80 million records stolen
- Home Depot, a US store, had records stolen from over 56 million customers
- Ebay, an online auction site, had 145 million records stolen
- Japan Airlines had data stolen from over 750,000 passengers
- TalkTalk, a UK telecommunications company, had records stolen from 157,000 customers
- US Internal Revenue Service had 100,000 taxpayer forms stolen
- British Airways had “tens of thousands” of passenger records stolen
- Australian Immigration office, amount of stolen records unknown
*See World’s Biggest Data Breaches for an interactive infographic of these and more data breaches from 2015.
Your Thoughts
What do you think were the biggest tech developments of 2015? How many of them did you try this year? What do you think the future of tech will be in 2016?
Share your thoughts in the Comments section below!
* 2015 image (edited) courtesy of krishna arts via freedigitalphotos.net
* Car image courtesy of Wikipedia
Hi Carolyn,
Wonderful indeed 🙂
I liked the concept of having such a review and letting us know how tech changed this past year. Change is constant, and if the change is for our better, it makes our lives so much easier, isn’t it?
Periscope was wonderful, though I still have to create my account, but have heard a few of my friend’s, and it’s working great for them. Google Cardboard and Google Photos were wonderful additions too, and of course the way Apple has progressed is commendable indeed.
Thanks for sharing all of these with us. Wishing you a wonderful New Year ahead 🙂
Hi Harleena, I’m glad you enjoyed this review. It’s the first year I’ve done this and I found it fascinating to see all the ways tech advanced in 2015.
Signing up for Periscope depth s easy using your Twitter account, and you can follow the people on Periscope whom you follow on Twitter. Even if you don’t broadcast it’s fun to watch others around the world.
Very happy 2016 to you and your family, Harleena!
Great, did a great job.
but another thing which comes to my mind now is change of google+.
Thanks for the Post.
I’m not sure of the potential uses for Cardboard on the low end spectrum. If it renders a 3D area, that’s interesting, but to what end?
If I want to see a 3D version of my living room I need a smartphone to do it. (Especially if I want up and down and not just left right viewing.) The things that come to mind for uses are crime scenes and interior decorating. I would hope police departments would have more to spend on devices that help solve crimes and it’s kind of overkill for design purposes. Has anyone used this or have a great idea they want to use it for?
Hi Carolyn,
I visited your blog first time today and I found that you have got quite a number of great articles here. I just loved reading this post on the tech we saw in 2015. One of the major thing which I think you missed is USB Type-C. It was featured in Apple’s Newest MacBook and some other smartphones like One Plus Two, Nexus 6p & 5x etc. I think USB Type-C port will soon be adapted by all laptop, tablet and smartphone manufacturers because of its multi-functionality.
Periscope and Apple watch are both revolutionary as far as tech world is concerned. Apple has changed the perspective about the smart watch.
Enjoyed seeing Amazon echo in the list as well. I am not much aware of it though.
Cardboard is still a mystery to me, I think I have to try it myself soon, but I’m not expecting much though, and I ain’t excited either lol. Periscope is by far my most favorite of the list. Thanks for sharing Carolyn! Looking forward to a more tech-filled 2016! Cheers!
Hi Carolyn,
Great post indeed!
Google Cardboard is a great headset for introducing people to Virtual Reality. It’s quite low quality though, and there are are a lot of problems when it comes to stereoscopy (especially if your phone is not a 5′ display of the same proportions as Nexus 5). It can really hurt your eyes for long term use, but it definitely helped the VR mobile community by providing a cheap yet practical visor.
Thanks for sharing and I really enjoyed to reading this post or knew about differents products. Thumb’s up…:)
Hi Nicole, Yes, at the price Google Cardboard isn’t meant to be the best quality viewer but it can help introduce people to the world of virtual reality. Thanks so much for your input.