What Happened to Innovation in Tech?

innovative technology

Introduction

The 2000’s will always be remembered as a decade of innovation. During that decade, phones evolved from devices only capable of calling and texting to devices capable of rivalling early PCs. Speaking of computers, they evolved with massive performance gains and loss of mass, AKA they got a lot thinner.

I could go on and on about the innovations technology went through during that decade and part of this decade, but I want to focus on the now. Specifically, I want to focus on what happened to the innovation? It seems as if technology isn’t evolving at the rate it used to. Have we hit a barrier when it comes to technology, or have manufacturers simply given up?

Reason #1: There Isn’t a Lack of Innovation

Maybe the problem isn’t a lack of innovation, but more so a lack of need for innovation. We’ve gotten so used to what we’re currently using and how what we use works, so why switch it up?

But that doesn’t make much sense. There’s always a need to progress, especially when it comes to technology. What I believe the answer to be is that there isn’t lack of innovation. Instead, there’s a lack of major innovation.

Take for example the evolution phones have gone through the past few years. The S7 Edge was the first phone to use an edge-to-edge display, and ever since then, Samsung’s flagship phones have used the same technology. Apple has also taken major strides in removing the bezel for more display room.

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Also, what about security software such as VPNs? Sure, there will always be improvements made, but there’s not much in the way of innovation. Butsurely these minor upgradesare anexample of innovation?

Yes, all of it is innovation, but no one would mark it as a major form of innovation, just minor innovations scaling up to what we have today. A major innovation would be a drastic change or evolution that shakes up the platform, for example, Samsung’s Galaxy Fold.

Speaking of the Galaxy Fold, that brings us to our next reason.

Reason #2: The Lack of Want for First-Generation Technology

First-generation technology carries a reputation of being finnicky, expensive and downright unstable. If you don’t believe me, take a look at early virtual reality; it cost you your mortgage and didn’t look or feel good. However, the technology was there, and after garnering enough interest, the VR market continued into a niche–but viable–market.

However, not everyone feels the need to participate in first-generation technology, and can you blame them? Let’s rewind back to the Galaxy Fold. The Galaxy Fold costs $2,000, and the first revision didn’t even work without collapsing on top itself! The second revision is looking to be more stable, but it’s still expensive.

There’s not much incentive to release innovative products, at least at the rate they used to. In some ways, you can argue we’ve entered a period of time where innovation meets experimentation on all fronts.

Also, let’s take this time to reminisce on Razer’s experimental triple-display laptop, which was actually stolen  while on display at CES back in late 2017. Press F to pay respects, please, for Razer and the laptop, which has still yet to see the light of day.

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Conclusion

As much as I’d love to see the old days of innovation back and revamped, it’s not going to happen, at least in the near future. Every industry goes through times of stagnation, but the tech industry is a bit different, since it’s not really stagnant as much as it is in a slowdown.

However, I’m sure this article will be made irrelevant in the next decade and I’ll be back writing about how innovative technology has become. Hey, I won’t be complaining, though hopefully by then I’ve innovated a bit on my styles of article, huh?