2020 is (thankfully) coming to an end. Thanks to a (still ongoing) global pandemic, technology became a necessity for the world. From how we communicate to how we work, a lot of things really took off in a way they couldn’t in a normal year. With that in mind, here are MY 5 BEST 2020 TECH TRENDS.
Zoom Turned Into A Verb
Most of these tech trends will all center around the fact that COVID-19 really impacted A LOT of aspects of our lives. This included the way we communicated with people whether for work or social gatherings. Before 2020, Zoom was just for businesses to use for meetings, webinars, and the like. Now? We basically use it for everything: from birthdays to weddings to wakes to Christmas parties!
This sudden increase of usage caused a lot of headaches for Zoom itself (see Zoom Bombing and the various security woes it faces). Despite that and competition from other apps like Google Meet and Microsoft Teams, Zoom remains in the top of mind of most people.
Remote Work/Learning Impacted A LOT of Tech Purchases
We were pretty much used to being on our phones way more than our laptops. That held true until 2020 struck and we had to most (if not all) of our work remotely. (And that’s if you got lucky and your company lets you even do that.)
Because of that sudden shift, many companies are rushing to buy laptops for their employees that are gonna do remote work. Computer makers are still rushing to meet that demand and will still see stock shortages until 2022. Here’s hoping we get way better webcams than what we have now for all those Zoom calls.
A BIGGER Spotlight on Midrange Phones
This may come as a weird entry to my 2020 best tech trends. Since the Philippines has a plethora of entry-level and midrange phones to choose from, you might wonder why this is in here. It’s because the West hasn’t seen the competitiveness of the midrange market that we have in Asia.
I don’t know if this is due to the pandemic per se, but I’m happy that this trend is in its next gear! Apple launched the iPhone SE 2, Google basically made its Pixel lineup cheaper, and the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE is the company’s best phone this year! (Yes, even against the Z Fold 2 and the Note 20 Ultra.)
I know, I know. This is basically the territory of the Chinese smartphone brands like realme, vivo, OPPO, Huawei, and the like. I’m just glad that the Western market gets this competitive segment now.
Big Tech Had Big Ups and Downs
The BIGGEST winners of 2020? Probably these big tech companies. (I count Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, and Microsoft as part of that group.) Is there a problem with that? Governments are starting to think so. From Google’s search and advertising to Facebook’s social media market share to Apple’s App Store practices, various governments want to regulate them in various ways.
Apple’s currently under fire for its App Store practices. Google just got lawsuits from different parts of the United States. Facebook got a lawsuit from the DOJ and the FTC aiming to break up the company. Since these things are just in the early stages, expect this to develop into a bigger thing in 2021.
Good (and Bad?) Guy PH Telcos VS Government?
If there’s one of my 2020 best tech trends that I find to be confusing, it’s this one. The pandemic has brought back focus to the state of the Philippine internet. The president even threatened to shut down both Globe and Smart if the internet doesn’t improve.
Globe president Ernest Cu blames the red tape for the slow rollout of new cell towers in the country. The government promised to streamline the process to make it easier for the telcos to build those cell towers. I just hope the threat isn’t too real because both telcos plan to rollout MORE towers in the new year.
Beyond that, both Globe and Smart also implemented payment programs to help its subscribers pay the balance they had in a specified time during the early days of quarantine.
It will be interesting to see how both telcos will stay competitive with the entry of DITO Telecommunity.
There you have it! Those are my 2020 best tech trends. Did I miss anything more important? Sound off in the comments below! Hope you look forward to 2021 and see you then!
