An interesting headline recently caught my eye on cnet.com and I had to take a moment to check it out. Some of what the article explored really resonated with me, while other parts – I have to admit – I’m waffling in my own opinion. In the recent cnet.com piece, Microsoft’s 2016 Predictions: We’ll stop Talking Directly to Each Other, the author explores Microsoft’s recent publications regarding its views of the upcoming year – which includes, “A Golden Age of Technological Advancement.” Sounds pretty incredible, right? Like the golden road ahead of us…The author of this article takes a slightly different view. One that’s a bit more focused on reality, talking about a “brazen” approach to technological advancement.
Here’s a few highlights of what he had to say, and for the full article click here.
“Some of the predictions follow current technological developments, such as acceleration in natural language processing, neural networks and the cloud. You will be stunned, though, that one of the predictions is that “stylus-based drawing, annotation and note-taking will assume a broadly supported and appropriate place in the mosaic of how we interact with digital devices.”
He goes on to offer his take, “One can’t help but see a slight needle at Apple, which after years of snorting at the idea of a stylus, suddenly came out with one to go with its iPad Pro, several years after Microsoft and Samsung embraced the idea. Naturally, the Cupertino, California, company didn’t call it a stylus, preferring the more graphic “pencil.”
He makes a good point – technology really is constantly evolving – and the way we do things traditionally, has taken an incredible shift. Long gone are our note pads, planners and even pens – the stylus and the notebook functions of our smart phones and tablets are where it’s at. Do you think we’ll ever go back to the way things were…before the smartphone?
As the author goes on to explore the rest of Microsoft’s 2016 predictions, he says this is his favorite: “Our online conversations will increasingly be mediated by conversation assistants who will help us laugh and be more productive.”
And, this is where I’m just not sure. Are you? In an age where we utilize so much assistance from technology, and Siri is our go-to when we need an answer, is that enough or will we start to embrace something like a conversation assistant? In some cases, potentially. But for many of us, the art of conversation and human interaction is still a mainstay in our lives and one we cherish greatly. We live in a wild world where so many technological advances in the last decade have made our day-to-day so much different and more efficient. But, I have to admit – I also love my tech-free moments with family, friends and coworkers. Don’t you?
What’s your take on Microsoft’s 2016 predictions? And, where do you see technology heading in the next year?
