It’s been said over and over: 2016 has been one of the toughest years in recorded history. Fraught with disappointments and failures – some that divided the nation in half. You might be thinking about politics – but the same dividing lines were drawn in the world of technology.
Omar Gallaga of the Austin American-Statesman’s 512 Tech stopped by to talk about the good and bad technology stories of 2016.
One of the biggest tech disappointments this year? The Galaxy Note 7, which became known for catching fire. Note users began flocking to iPhones, while Apple users flaunted their told-you-so attitudes. On the flip side, Android technology improved with water-resistant phones and updated sound quality, so many iPhone users made the switch to the other side.
Gallaga says this is the start of a trend that moves away from the brand loyalty we’ve seen in years past.
“We use our phones day to day that people are striving for that perfect phone – I’ve seen people kind of defect from their phones for the first time,” he says. “People who use iPhones are starting to think ‘Well, I should look at android or look at the Google Pixel…People [are starting to] rethink ‘Maybe I don’t need to be tied to this particular brand of phone.'”
What you’ll hear in this segment:
– How fake news and government surveillance stories affected the public’s trust this year
– The advancement of artificial intelligence and virtual reality in 2016
– Why technology is increasingly personal for users
