WITH a finger on the pulse of the fast-paced consumer electronics industry, GITEX Shopper tracks top 10 trends for tech savvy consumers looking to update devices and tap into the latest developments in the industry.
Visitors to the Middle East’s largest consumer IT and electronic show, which will take place on Oct. 1-8 at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), should lookout for:
• Wearables: With connectivity already an everyday part of consumers’ lives thanks to the smartphone, it’s now the turn of wearable tech to take it to the next level. According to a recent CCS Insight study, the wearables market indicates strong growth over the next five years, with revenue poised to reach $14 billion in 2016. Wrist-worn devices continue to be the trailblazers in the wearables market, with fitness, activity and sports trackers accounting for almost half of the sales.
Purushotham, Head of Marketing (Smartphones & Tablets), IT & Mobile Division at Samsung Gulf Electronics, said: “We are bringing to GITEX Shopper the entire Samsung mobile ecosystem, including the latest smartphones, wearables and tablets, among other world-class consumer appliances. The growth in our wearables segment has been remarkable, with strong sales for the recently launched Gear Fit2 and IconX.”
• Artificial Intelligence: Artificial Intelligence (AI), similar to the tech that powers Windows’ Cortana and iOS’s Siri, and machine learning technology which powers Google’s search engine, will continue to be incorporated into technology products, services and software in 2016 as mobility remains front and center.
• 3D-Printing Materials: This year will see continued advances in 3D printing with a wide range of materials, including advanced nickel alloys, carbon fiber, glass, conductive ink, electronics, pharmaceuticals and biological materials for practical applications expanding into aerospace, medical, automotive, energy and the military.
• Live Video Streaming: Video streaming has become one of the most engaging trends as well as the most popular methods to view content across the web today. The increasing use of mobile devices is also driving video views, and this trend is set to continue in 2016.
• Ultra-HD (UHD) TVs: With their exceptional picture quality, ultra high definition (UHD) TVs have quickly gained market share since their introduction just a few years ago. UHD TVs feature four times the pixels per inch compared to Full HD and offer far greater contrast than previous displays, especially if they are equipped with OLED technology. In addition, high dynamic range (HDR) brings huge advances in color, contrast, and brightness, which has to be seen to be believed.
• Virtual Reality: This year is definitely the year of Virtual Reality, with increased Virtual Reality content in the gaming industry, as well as the development of 360° cameras. Intel recently introduced its newest VR headset Project Alloy which introduces the concept of merged reality. Instead of a headset cord and controllers, people will experience VR at its finest by using their own hands.
Regional power retailer Sharaf DG will showcase the latest VR headsets including the HTC Vive, which received 22 awards from Consumer Technology Association (CES) 2016. According to Nilesh Khalkho, CEO of Sharaf DG, the Vive headset includes a standout feature called “room scale” that allows the headset to utilize technology to turn a room into a 3D space within the virtual reality environment: “Visitors will be able to try out the new HTC Vive VR headset during the show – it’s quite sensational in immersing the user into a room-scale VR gameplay experience by using 360 motion tracking and natural controller gestures.”
• Smart Drones: Drones have taken the world by storm and new features are being introduced to the market almost daily. The Typhoon H, for example, is capable of capturing 4k video footage as well as vivid 12-megapixel stills in 360 degrees. Another popular drone this year is the Phantom 4, which comes equipped with automatic collision control and features Active Track technology that allows the person to select any moving object and it will automatically follow it.
• Electric Skateboards: TheYuneec E-Go, available in the regional market, boasts a battery capacity of more than 28km and a top speed of 19km. The battery charges within 5 hours.
• Smart Appliances: As home appliances come equipped with cutting-edge technology, this means they save more water, energy, time and money for their owners. Samsung has recently revealed their futuristic fridge, the Samsung Family Hub Fridge that comes attached with a 1080p touchscreen, which means that you can freely scroll through apps and browse the internet while standing in the kitchen. It also comes with a feature that enables you to order groceries for home delivery.
• Information of Everything: The next evolution on from Internet of Everything, and one of the top trends in tech for 2016 according to Gartner, is Information of Everything. This heralds a new era in which people, businesses and devices become increasingly more connected.
GITEX Shopper 2016 will open from 11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m. every day. — SG
