By this time of the year, you’ve already embarked on the usual annual attempt of making sure you live as per your new year resolutions. There’s lots of predictions every new year of what will happen. The tech world is no stranger to this fate. We have our hopes high for the forth coming innovations and trends especially with the MWC yet to take place in Barcelona. There is so much innovation and gimmicky additions brewing and we can’t wait. But before we do that, it’s worth considering some things that won’t change in 2018.
1. People will continue using Facebook
Of course they will, and hand over the almanac of their lives to the guys at Facebook despite irresponsibility, and “refusal” to invest in stopping inappropriate use of their platform. People will continue using this platform to keep connected to their world. Probably there is someone already considering creating there first Facebook account. It will continue to create deep echo chambers and division in society.
2. The iPhone will still be expensive
The times when you could get a brand new iPhone for less than Ugx 2,000,000 are gone. It’s a new dawn, and a new breed of the iPhone. And they will only get more expensive, or be stack in a price well above UGX 3,000,000. And Apple’s iPhone being the lynchpin in the smartphone market, expect other manufacturers to copy the trend. Well they’ll be very good phones. There is ever a better iPhone placed on the market, but they will be insanely priced.
3. Headphone jacks will continue to disappear.
We’ve seen this last year and the year before it. The 3.5mm jack mysteriously disappearing from smartphones. And replaced to by wireless headsets. Don’t expect a devolution because that won’t happen. Just expect more of it. Apple started the trend, and it’s eating up the smartphone industry like a wild fire.
4. People will still use Social bundles
For most people in Uganda, being on the internet is all about social media. The way social media has changed the way we communicate is hard to ignore. People spend hours scrolling through the different social media platforms especially Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Don’t expect this to change this year. Social media will still be the major aim why people start using the internet. And the telecoms now know it. The big players have now offered special social media bundles to attract these social media freaks. And social bundle usage will be on the rise as smartphones get cheaper. So telecoms that possess the best social bundle offerings will see more returns.
5. Tecno Mobile Uganda will still be at the top of its game.
Tecno is running away with market share for entry level and mid-range smartphones with its many lines of offerings. It’s even starting to encroach on the big money offerings of flagship territory. The phones are beautifully priced according to their specs and quality. The leaked images of the next Camon sibling dubbed Camon CM only make it clear that Tecno is not close to losing its crown and we are all happy about that.
These are my predictions. But only just. In the tech world, anything is possible. Let’s wait and see what will happen in this long ride around the sun we are headed for.
