for example, notes that Vision Pro can aggravate medical conditions involving eyes and ears or cause migraine headaches, dizziness or nausea— among a variety of other safety warnings. The other aspect to keep in mind is that VR headsets aren’t see-through: You’re seeing a representation of the outside world based on external cameras. Not surprisingly, that means it’s illegal to drive while wearing them, but it also means you need to be aware of your surroundings even if you’re just walking. Medical and fitness trackers Wearable smart devices collect a wide range of data, and they’re getting more sophisticated all the time in how they monitor your health details while exercising or sleeping. What users need to be aware of, however, is how their private information might be of interest to eager advertisers, governments or nefarious actors such as cybercrooks. While it’s unlikely for an individual device to get hacked, large-scale data breaches are an ever- present risk—and current regulations do not cover biometric data the way HIPAA applies to healthcare insurers and providers. Beyond individual consumer technologies and trends, Hirsch suggests taking a step back to look at the big picture: We are in an environment where technology will continue to ask us to trust it more, and that’s something brands must face going forward. Having worked with top brand names such as Pepsi, Colgate-Palmolive, and Apple, and done quantitative research on countless thousands of consumers, Hirsch also notes that there is a tradeoff to the convenience that new technologies offer—or claim to offer. “As a business, it’s expensive to really put your customer first,” he says. “It’s tempting to streamline operations with a technology, and then you can point to how much more productive and profitable you are. But if it’s done excessively or poorly, it can hurt the consumer-brand relationship.”
VIEW TO THE FUTURE A s we start to digest those trends and others, what could be coming in the next few years in consumer technology? In the infancy of artificial intelligence, it’s not yet clear how it might eventually impact industries as diverse as healthcare, manufacturing and entertainment. Smartphones are already seeing AI innovations added in with improvements to cameras, multimedia capabilities, and security. Consumer robotics is another field which anticipates radical change in the coming years. Amazon Astro is capable of home security monitoring, remote care of elderly relatives, and even following you around the house. Rumor has it that Apple, having canceled its electric car project, will be dedicating some of those resources to developing personal robotics. Ericsson Consumer & IndustryLab performs an annual global survey to identify what’s next. In recent years, their 10 Hot Consumer Trends projections have included the Internet of Senses—devices honing their ability to convey sight, sound, touch, and even smell and taste—and Everyspace Plazas, high-tech facilities providing in-person experiences with augmented reality glasses, haptic body suits and tactile gloves.
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IN YOUR CORNER ISSUE 17 | 2024
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