PCR Tech and IT retail, distribution and vendor news
Gartner has revealed its latest Hype Cycle, where driverless cars and the Internet of Things (IoT) have proved to be among the most hyped technologies of the future.
According to the analyst both are at the ‘Peak of Inflated Expectations’, indicating that the market is still excited by these new forms of tech.
Gartner has also predicted that smart robots and the connected home will reach its plateau in the next five to 10 years, similarly smart dust (a system of many tiny microelectromechanical systems such as sensors or robots that can detect light, temperature and more) will also make its way on to the market in around 10 years time, with virtual personal assistants due in five to ten years.
Autonomous cars have shifted from pre-peak to peak in the Hype Cycle, with more companies such as Google starting to put driverless vehicles into their future roadmaps.
Betsy Burton, VP and analyst at Gartner, said: “The Hype Cycle features technologies that are the focus of attention because of particularly high levels of interest, and those that Gartner said have the potential for significant impact.
“This year, we encourage CIOs and other IT leaders to dedicate time and energy focused on innovation, rather than just incremental business advancement, while also gaining inspiration by scanning beyond the bounds of their industry."
Augmented reality and cloud computing are starting to phase out of the hype cycle, so says Gartner, as the two have hit the ‘Trough of Disillusionment’ in this year’s Hype Cycle.
Virtual reality has also reached the ‘Slope of Enlightenment’ this year, along with gesture control.
In addition, 3D printing is expected to hit businesses, with enterprise 3D printing predicted to reach its plateau in the next two to five years.
“As we have set out on the Gartner roadmap to digital business, there are six progressive business era models that companies can identify with today and to which they can aspire in the future. However, since the Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies is purposely focused on more emerging technologies, it mostly supports the last three of these stages: Digital Marketing, Digital Business and Autonomous," added Burton.
"Although we have categorised each of the technologies on the Hype Cycle into one of the digital business stages, organisations should not limit themselves to these technology groupings.
"Many early adopters have embraced quite advanced technologies, for example, autonomous vehicles or smart advisors, while they continue to improve nexus-related areas, such as mobile apps."
In last year’s Hype Cycle, Gartner revealed that 3D printers would not become commonplace in households until 2019.
Image source: Shutterstock
