Apple Watch, Windows 10: What to expect in tech in 2015
NEW YORK — Last year right around this time, everyone wondered if or when Apple would finally unveil a long-rumored smart watch and what bearing it might have on the market for wearable computers.
The "if" went away in September when the company finally showcased early versions of Apple Watch.
As I anticipate the stories likely to dominate the personal tech scene in the New Year, the question of "when" in 2015 the Apple Watch clocks in remains a mystery. It's also unknown how high above the entry-level $350 price some premium versions of the watch might command.
I'll be mildly surprised if the availability date slips well past the first quarter of the year, but (forgive the pun) time will tell.
Aside from the timing, there are these key questions: Will Apple Watch be the catalyst to make smart watches specifically and wearables more generally go mainstream? Can Apple solve one of the major bugaboos afflicting most of the early timepieces already out there, notably the challenge of battery life?
I may be dead wrong, but I do expect the first batch of Apple Watches to generate the kind of buzz we so often see when a new Apple product arrives — with sales that will far exceed anything we've seen in the wearable category so far. But I'll also temper that prediction with this: version 1.0 of the Apple Watch will be just that, a version 1.0 product. In other words, it might be sexy, have enormous promise, but it also will be saddled with a few growing pains.
A 'WEARABLE' WORLD?
Either way, expect the barrage of new wearable devices to continue in 2015 from all the usual tech suspects, with a particular emphasis on products and services that cater to the health and fitness market.
Rival Google will push even harder to improve upon and expand the Android Wear ecosystem.
Google hasn't given up on Google Glass either, though I'm not sanguine that the company's high-tech spectacles will gain further headway with ordinary folks in 2015. Longer term, maybe.
But it's not just about wearables as a standalone gadget. It's about how they get smarter, communicate through sensors and connect with more physical objects around us.
Worth watching: How Google's smart contact lens project that allows diabetics to measure their glucose levels continues to progress through the New Year.
Microsoft is sure to be heard from again in wearables, too, having already placed a stake in the ground with the Microsoft Band device that came out just a few weeks ago.
A BIG YEAR FOR WINDOWS
Of course, the bigger story surrounding Microsoft in 2015 will involve the eventual rollout of Windows 10, the upcoming version of the company's venerable operating system. Barring major setbacks, it's a good bet Window 10 will reach consumers and businesses in the fall.
Microsoft has so far revealed precious little about what the new Windows will mean for consumers. The company presumably will have lots more to say on the topic when it stages an event at its Redmond, Wash., campus in January.
What we know is that Windows 10 is meant to serve a broad set of devices, not just traditional PCs and mobile. So that means the Xbox, various home automation/Internet of Things-related products, and at the other extreme, enterprise servers. Some Windows 10-capable products will have, say, 4-inch displays, some will have 80-inch screens, and some will have no screens at all.
Tech companies are banking on improved networking speeds as well, both in the wired and wireless realm. Google is expanding Google Fiber to various markets where it promises gigabit Internet speeds that are roughly 100 times that of basic broadband, letting you in theory download high definition movies in a blink.
Flipping to the mobile side, wireless carriers are expanding to faster flavors of LTE networks. It's all very confusing and each carrier is taking a different approach. You'll see terms like XLTE (pushed by Verizon), Wideband LTE (T-Mobile), Spark (Sprint), LTE Advanced, and so on. It can all be hard to follow, the progress varies by market and carrier and in some cases you'll need new hardware. The takeaway is that faster is coming, though more slowly in some cases.
Meanwhile, make way in 2015 for an invasion of drones. They're expected to be all over next month's Consumer Electronics Show. Yeah, Amazon and Google want to use drones to deliver stuff. Hollywood is getting in on the action. But there are still regulations and rules that need to be addressed.
But Shawn DuBravac, the chief economist and senior director of research at the Consumer Electronics Association, envisions drone usage by real estate agents and by consumers at weddings, during spring break and so on. According to a recent report in The Wall Street Journal, the action cam maker GoPro is readying its own consumer drone to compete against DJI, a leader in the space. We'll see.
Speaking of flying objects, Google in 2015 will advance its Project Loon, which uses hot air balloons to deliver Internet to the two-thirds of the world's population that doesn't yet have access.
Back on the ground, Apple's CarPlay, and Google's Android Auto will continue to make inroads in improving the communication and entertainment experience in the vehicle. Automakers are adding 4G LTE hotspots to the car as well. And while you're not about to have a vehicle chauffeur itself quite yet — that's still down the road some — Tesla and others are making notable advancements toward an autonomous car.
It's becomes something of a yearly ritual to speculate on another Apple rumor — its bigger entry into the TV space. I still doubt Apple will produce an actual television set. Something I do expect is a long overdue refresh of the Apple TV box, especially with intense competition from Roku, Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Sony.
Check back next year to see how I did. In the meantime, I wish readers a happy and healthy holiday season and new year.
Email: ebaig@usatoday.com; Follow @edbaig on Twitter