Three Exciting Tech Trends for 2015

As we turn the page into 2015, there’s a lot to get excited about for the tech industry. 2014 saw HBO GO split from the cable companies, multi-billion dollar app purchases, and the first fully-functional prototype of an autonomous vehicle. Here’s what we can expect for the year to come.

Watch for the Apple Watch this Spring

We already know that smartwatches can add months to your life (in the form of saved time), but Apple’s new Watch - set to hit stores in Spring of 2015 - has a lot of expectations to live up to. Just as the iPod changed the portable media market when it hit the scene back in 2001, then the iPhone took over the smartphone market back in 2007, Apple hopes that in 2015 they can capture the wearable smartwatch market as well, which is getting more and more crowded.

The Apple Watch will be featured in a variety of colors combinations, be compatible with your other Apple devices, and feature a variety of apps that will handle everything from texting to answering your phone to monitoring your heartbeat during your morning run. The full extent of what the Apple Watch will do won’t be known until it hits stores this Spring, but there’s no denying that the world will be watching to see whether this new device will stand the test of time.

Google’s Autonomous Vehicles Hit California Streets

Google expects for their autonomous vehicles to begin cruising California streets this year, though it will probably be a while before they become available for mass production. 2015 will likely be a year of safety testing and positive media campaigns aimed at easing the fears of future "smartcar" consumers with reliable and extensive data. Google’s first fully-functional self-driving car was unveiled right before Christmas of 2014, and features couch-style seating for two.

Google’s concept of a future where self-driving cars are the norm features less traffic, less accidents, less DUI’s, and more mobility for the elderly. But what’s standing in the way of that future is both a lack of laws or regulations regarding autonomous vehicles, and making the autonomous vehicle affordable for the average consumer. It will be interesting to see how the smartcar’s narrative will continue to develop in 2015.

Virtual Reality is Becoming a Reality

Virtual reality headsets are becoming more and more advanced. While the hardware has been around for the past couple of years, it’s the software that has been the major issue. Many who tried the Oculus Rift in its early days have complained about nausea due to the immersive environment. If one thing is off in the virtual world, your sense of balance can be thrown completely out the window.

But in March of 2014, Facebook purchased Oculus Rift for $400 million and threw another $300 million at its development. Since then, the quality of the virtual reality environments have improved, and its uses are going to be far more than just gaming. With Facebook behind the wheel, can we expect to see some virtual shopping or virtual social hangouts in the future? The Oculus Rift is expected to become more widely available to consumers in 2015.

Other major virtual reality headsets that are currently in the prototype phase are Sony’s Project Morpheus and Samsung’s Gear VR. You can buy all these headsets now, and each comes with developer tools to make your own games or apps. But be warned: these are not completely finished projects and will not be as polished as the completed versions set to release in the future.