With a new year comes new ideas, new inspiration, and unsurprisingly, new technology. While there is no way to predict precisely what trends consumers will take to, here are just a few of the trends to be on the lookout for, according to experts:

5G

This one is fairly self-explanatory for anyone familiar with their cell phone coverage plan. Faster than LTE, cell service providers will soon be rolling out the next and improved network as early as summer 2018.

Smart Cities

The United Nations predicts that 60% of the world’s population will live in cities by 2030. That’s a lot of people, and cities are attempting to get ahead of this shift by integrating technology into their ecosystems as seamlessly as possible. Europe intends to focus more on energy conservation while the United States will be zeroing in on transportation (driverless pizza delivery, anyone?).

Artificial Intelligence

AI is making waves across industries— and by extension, so is voice assistance and the continued progression of the smart home. Smart speakers, such as Alexa, or voice assistance in the form of Siri or Google Home can already be found in any home with a smartphone. Current numbers show that the hands-free interface is already a huge selling point. As smart speakers grow less expensive, they will grow even more attractive to potential consumers.

However, rather than come out with new products, companies such as Amazon and Google will look to expand their market by coordinating with others with the intent to draw consumers to sign up for services that can enhance their experiences (Money CNN). An Amazon Prime account isn’t necessary to purchase an Echo, but it could improve its capabilities, and that is what companies want to prioritize rather than come out with the latest edition of their Echo.

The smart speaker already has the capability to recognize a person’s voice. Digital Trends suggests that perhaps one day soon they’ll be able to know you mean milk when you say, “Alexa, order this,” without needing to clarify what you are holding. It may not be that far off!

Using “the cloud”

Most people presume that all data can be stored in “the cloud” in one way or another. However, edge computing, as described on Network World, helps some data get processed closer to where it is created. This helps alleviate issues that may arise if a device has a poor or weak connection to a central cloud. It also provides a solution for reducing the amount of data that traverses a network at one time, ensuring that the most important data is processed promptly.

For more insights by Artyom Leydiker about the fast-paced world of technology in which we live, check out his other blog posts!