Why 2014 Will be the Most Exciting Tech Year in Decades

[RedSox2013]

2013 has been one exciting year. We have seen many ideas spring up, with the help of crowdfunding as well as faster computer speeds. 2014 however should be a year for the ages, technologically speaking. We will likely see more technological progress in 2014 than we have in decades. Here are some of the technologies which excite me for the coming year ahead are:



3D Printers:
After all, this is the "3D Printing Board." In the last year we have seen remarkable growth in the industry, however things are just heating up. 2014 will be the year that 3D Printing hits the mainstream in a big way. More and more retail outlets are adding printers, including Office Depot which just added printers in 150 stores nationwide. Expect many other stores to begin not only selling 3D Printers, but offering 3D Printing services to the general public cheaply. Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes, Staples, Office Max, and Best Buy are all possibilities. Look for some remarkable gains within the bio-printing realm as well. The competition is heating up, and that means better, faster, cheaper printers for us all! Here is a look at how often the term "3D Printing" has been used in news stories since 2005:
1-3dprint.jpg


Virtual Reality - Oculus Rift:
Although 2013 saw the very first Oculus Rift Virtual Reality headsets ship, it won't be until the second half of 2014 before these headsets begin seeing mass adoption. Virtual reality is about to get extremely real. Oculus VR has raised tens of millions of dollars in the last few months from Venture capitalists, and are currently hiring far and wide. Expect the technology to progress significantly, and expect to see many games and applications developed for the this excitingTechnology.

Wearables:
2014 will forever be known as the year of the Wearables. The two most exciting products will be the Apple iWatch as well as Google Glass. Expect to see Google Glass go on sale to the general public, and expect to find some pretty innovative tech built into the new "iWatch" that Apple will likely release sometime before July. Both These products will change the world as we know it, in what some will say are positive and negative ways. Expect Google Glass to become a mainstay product within the corporate world before slowly seeing mainstream adoption. There will be massive improvements with Google Glass from where the product is at today in the Beta test phase, and hundreds of Apps will become available by year's end.

Crowdfunding:
The start of 2014 will usher in legal equity crowdfunding for those not making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in the US. This means the general public will be able to fund the projects they want, for actual equity stakes in the companies. This means many opportunities will see the light of day, adding funding for hundreds, or even thousands of new breakthroughs in technology. Look for the second half of 2014 to really see an explosion in the equity crowdfunding arena.

Internet Of Things Truly Begin:
We've been talking about the "Internet of Things" for probably close to 8 years now, however just recently, especially this year chatter has picked up in a big way. Companies like Cisco, IBM, and Intel have been investing heavily in the last 2 years leading up to this point. 2014 will see an explosion of devices connected to the internet, and the "Internet of Things," will finally be truly defined by year's end. You will see vehicles, clothing, toilets, air conditioners, and pretty much anything else you can imagine begin connecting with the internet and providing Data which will eventually save the world trillions of dollars per year. Below is a graph of the number of times "Internet of Things" have been used in news stories since 2005:
1-intofthings.jpg

[The_Critter]

We've already seen 3D printing merge with Crowdfunding. I'm wondering how many more unique 3D printers and scanners will will see crowdfunded in 2014. So many were very successful in 2013. Great job with your synopsis. I think it's all pretty accurate.

[Maggie]

Personally I think every year is the most exciting "tech year". This is because every year we see more and more advancements. I do believe we will see some amazing things come from the 3D Printing industry this year though, and I look forward to it.
Maggie

[Geoff]

I'm 36. When I was the same age as my kids are now, we had CB radios, Bulletin boards.. skateboards... Sega master systems..

Internet what??

come 2014.. I'm still amazed at the technology at my kids fingertips. We watched video tapes, and when they broke, you opened them up and taped them back to together. Kids now? they have a tonne of movies on a USB stick that never needs taping back together. Technology is becoming so cheap, no point repairing much anymore, its often as cheap to just replace it... who knows what the future holds. I do feel maybe kids take it for granted tho, and won't learn the skills we have by just simply having to fix things over the years, it's a little sad. I suppose that's our job to teach them lol

Just take my money and give me flying cars dammnit!!

[JohnA136]

I'm 36. When I was the same age as my kids are now, we had CB radios, Bulletin boards.. skateboards... Sega master systems..

Internet what??

come 2014.. I'm still amazed at the technology at my kids fingertips. We watched video tapes, and when they broke, you opened them up and taped them back to together. Kids now? they have a tonne of movies on a USB stick that never needs taping back together. Technology is becoming so cheap, no point repairing much anymore, its often as cheap to just replace it... who knows what the future holds. I do feel maybe kids take it for granted tho, and won't learn the skills we have by just simply having to fix things over the years, it's a little sad. I suppose that's our job to teach them lol

Just take my money and give me flying cars dammnit!!

Geoff. I spent 35 years as an Industrial Arts & Technology teacher. (that is a "shop teacher", auto shop, wood shop, metal shop, graphic arts, etc) so I know what you are saying. The current feeling here in the states is that there is no reason to spend money teaching hand and service skills to kids in schools anymore. It is sad that the next generation will not know how to build or fix anything.

[Larry]

In my opinion every year is the most exciting in Tech yet because of the exponential curve we are on. Technology is progressing at a faster and faster rate each and every year. 2014 will be the most exciting, but 2015 will surpass it. The only years which may break this yearly trend are major paradigm shifts. Graphene chips may do it.