The start of the new numerical decade 2020 hasn’t been optimal by any means. Things have gone off the track at the very start of the year and continued doing so throughout the first quarter. Let’s see if this year has anything good to offer. We probably just have to wait patiently.
In the meantime, we could look back how things were ten years ago and see how technology has developed in a decade. Back in 2010 one of the biggest releases was the first iPad that started the era of large screen handheld devices. Now most of the tablets lie in our cupboards as we are used to mobile phones and only a few of us need a larger screen to play Angry Birds.
Stranger still, Nokia actually had a tablet nine years before the release of iPad, the Nokia M510¹. It was never commercialized, but a prototype series of 1 000 pieces was made. It seems like Nokia had a crooked crystal ball, as this wasn’t their only project that got shelved and years later some other company did a breakthrough with the idea.
2011 had nothing mentionable to offer in this context, but in 2012 the first commercially available 3D-printer for consumers was released². It started a boom of 3D printing back then and the swell has continued to this day. The materials and equipment developed throughout the decade, but it is still one of the technologies that hasn’t lived up just yet. Hopefully this decade will be a breakthrough for 3D printing, and we can harvest the crops in our business.
The year 2013 was a year of eyewear. Both Google Glass³ and Oculus Rift (DK1)⁴ were introduced to the audience. Google Glass has remained as promising technology for years, but Oculus Rift is still de facto standard in the VR industry. For true commercialization of VR technology, we probably need another decade.
Back in 2014 the must have technology for all was the selfie stick and in 2015 it was the hoverboard. Both of them now lying in the cupboard with the tablet. In 2016 the trendsetters had AirPods and in 2017 Tesla Model 3. 2018 and 2019 offered a few mobile phone releases, but nothing groundbreaking. And I’m forecasting that the hit gadget of 2020 will be a cure/vaccine for COVID-19. But due to the clinical trials, it probably won’t come out until late 2021 or early 2022.
Still and all, we at TT Gaskets have a few tricks up our sleeves. In the best case, our inventions will be in Time magazine’s best of 2020 list of gadgets. But we’ll see. If you are interested, feel free to ask for more. We are here to help you also during these harsh times.
² https://www.3dsystems.com/press-releases/3d-systems-debuts-first-consumer-3d-printer