Cutting the cord: going wireless in 2016

Graphic by Charlotte Bracho.

Wireless power is expected to continuously grow during the year

As a generation of students that are known for constantly looking at some sort of screen, be it a cellphone or laptop, it’s only natural that we’re curious about what’s to come in the technological world. Whether it’s a new iPhone or an innovative gadget that facilitates our lives in some way, we’re all up on it. So what new gadgets will be coming our way this year?

Graphic by Charlotte Bracho.
Graphic by Charlotte Bracho.

The annual event of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) was held last week in Las Vegas and many visited from all around the world to experience and appreciate new technological releases. According to Wired, the most impressive products presented at CES included Bang & Olufsen’s BeoLab 90 speakers, Technics SL-1200 turntable, Kodak’s Super 8 camera, LG Signature OLED G6, Samsung Notebook 9, and smart glasses by Carl Zeiss. One particular technological advancement continuing to take the world by storm is wireless technology.

IHS, global market, industry and technical expertise provider reported that wireless power would rake in $1.7 billion in revenue in 2015, and it’s said to grow to $17.9 billion in revenue in 2024.

“Wireless power is about more than just getting rid of wires. It’s about helping all kinds of associated technologies transition from impractical to realistic. It’s about not having to put your devices in a specific place for a specific amount of time, or having to worry about whether your devices are charged,” Evan Ackerman, a senior robotics writer wrote in his article Why Wireless Power Is the Most Exciting Thing at CES 2016. He said that simple household gadgets will eventually become wireless in the future, including lights, surround sound speakers, and security cameras. “Wireless power would let you put these kinds of things wherever you wanted, and move them around freely,” wrote Ackerman.

Celphones are constantly being improved, too. ”Cellphones, even though [the technology] is not something new, are always expanding and always developing and possibly going to be replacing laptops, but computers will still be used for long-term assignments and programs,” said Dr. Nancy Acemian, a senior lecturer in computer science and software engineering at Concordia.

“Cellphones are getting smarter and people are relying on those things a lot more. We are paying our parking meters through our cellphones, as well as doing our banking through our cellphones. I still think that cellphones are going to evolve into more being more than just a phone and more of a computer,” said Acemian.

According to The Wall Street Journal, other products that are growing in popularity are T.V.s and other household electronics that are voice-operated—with only a simple word or two, your product is at your command.

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