Technology innovation continues to move
rapidly. It seems that every few days that there is a major breakthrough with
some type of IT or other computer-based technology that is seemingly going to
change the world; or, at the very least improve humanity in some way.
Sometimes, however, it just wasn’t meant to be. We’ll take a look at a few
technologies that once were shoo-ins to transform society, only to have come up
short in one way or another.
For the better part of a decade, manufacturers
tried and tried and tried to get people excited about 3D technology. There were
several problems. Content creators would not commit to 3D in capture or post
production. That lack of content coupled with the fact that viewers had to have
corresponding eyewear; and, the premium price tag the hardware commanded, had
people leaving the 3D displays on the shelves, instead choosing high definition
displays that made 2D programming look fantastic. This, of course, led the
manufacturers abandoning the technology, citing lack of demand.
There have been whispers that the technology
may be rejuvenated through the use of what is called Home3D. MIT’s Computer
Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL) recently found a way to emulate
the 3D experience without glasses. Without 3D content at the ready, however,
don’t expect major electronics manufacturers to commit to the creation of 3D
displays any time soon, glasses or not.
Just few short years ago, most people were
counting down the days until they able to get their hands on a pair of Google
Glass. They kept counting and counting. Today, no one is counting, because
there is no Google Glass. In fact, despite the overwhelming initial support,
there are very few actual smart glasses manufacturers today. In 2012
celebrities were out front testing Google Glass, but today, there were only a
couple of smart glasses manufacturers at CES. These companies, who are still
searching for the answers on what consumers want from their smart glasses, have
learned from the failed Google and Intel products. Less is more.
The main problem with products like Google
Glass was that the invasion of privacy was all too honest. Sure, Google can
track everything that you say, buy, and do online, but providing a camera on a
pair of perpetually-turned-on glasses was a step too far, for everyone. There
was a time when smart glasses were going to be a true replacement for the
smartphone. Today, the main technologies that would run an effective pair of
smart glasses haven’t been perfected. Augmented reality, although growing,
hasn’t gained enough traction to become the powerful technology necessary to
facilitate the need for a technology like smart glasses.
I know what you’re thinking: “virtual reality
is available today”. That much is true, but people have been talking about
virtual reality for the better part of the past 40 years. Most technologies
that were developed, not theorized, but developed in the 1980s have come and
gone by now. Think about the VHS or the audio cassette, where are they now? So
while virtual reality lingers around as computing systems and image capture
improves, the practical applications of VR are severely limited.
Gaming, the one application that most people
believed that VR would be great for, has been a major failure. There is some
value in the ability for people to share experiences online via VR, but thus
far it hasn’t been a priority for developers. The main practical use for VR,
which is not entertainment, but education, hasn’t seen enough of a push to be a
viable solution. So, while we’re not saying to give up on VR as a technology
just yet, the lack of excitement over a technology that should have (or at the
very least could have) been so transformative, is a complete disappointment up
until this point.
You know what technology has taken off? The Internet. At Emerge, we provide a lot of useful and educational IT articles right here on our blog.