Sorry if this is a dumb question, but does anyone else feel like technology - specifically consumer tech - kinda peaked over a decade ago? I’m 37, and I remember being awed between like 2011 and 2014 with phones, voice assistants, smart home devices, and what websites were capable of. Now it seems like much of this stuff either hasn’t improved all that much, or is straight up worse than it used to be. Am I crazy? Have I just been out of the market for this stuff for too long?

  • EpheraEnglish
    4·
    4 days ago

    I’ve certainly had the feeling that things aren’t improving as quickly anymore. I guess, it’s a matter of the IT field not being as young anymore.

    We’ve hit some boundaries of diminishing returns, for example:

    • A phone from 5 years ago is still easily powerful enough to run the apps of today. We have to pretend that progress is still happening, by plastering yet another camera lens on the back, and removing yet another micrometer of bezel.
    • Resolutions beyond HD are not nearly as noticeable of an upgrade. It often feels like we’re just doing 2K and 4K resolutions, because bigger number = better.
    • Games went from looking hyperrealistic to looking hyperrealistic with a few more shrubs in the background.

    Many markets are now saturated. Most people have a phone, they don’t need a second one. Heck, the youngest generation often only has a phone, and no PC/laptop. As a result, investors are less willing to bring in money.
    I feel like that’s why the IT industry is so horny for market changes, like VR, blockchain, COVID, LLMs etc… As soon as a new opportunity arises, there’s potential for an unsaturated market. What if everyone rushes to buy a new “AI PC”, whatever the fuck that even means…?

    Well, and finally, because everyone and their mum now spends a large chunk of their lives online, this isn’t the World Wide West anymore. Suddenly, you’ve got to fulfill regulations, like the GDPR, and you have to be equipped against security attacks. Well, unless you find one of those new markets, of course, then you can rob everyone blind of their copyright and later claim you didn’t think regulations would apply.