Sunday, July 14, 2024

On Our "Virtual Route 66" This Week: A Window Into Our World

 


Our team captured this from a recent newsletter by the team at the Information to signify all who have a window into the future as we present the following courtesy the team at the National of the UAE:


Plenty of hardware

A visitor has a look at a display of Samsung products in Paris. AFP
A visitor has a look at a display of Samsung products in Paris. AFP

In brief | Samsung managed to cut through the noisy and saturated technology news cycle to dominate the headlines this week as it introduced a new generation of foldable smartphones and expanded its wearable line-up while also doubling down on generative AI.

Like many of the standard-bearer technology companies, Samsung tried, and succeeded to a large extent, to show it still has the muscle to make an impact in the consumer technology sector, while also proving it was able to ride the increasingly important wave of AI.

It did that, in part, by catering to an incredibly large installed base of smartphone users.

Why it matters | In terms of consumer technology that drives app sales and content clicks, it’s still very much Samsung, Apple and, to some extent, Huawei’s world, and we’re all just living in it.

The companies have devices in billions of pockets around the world and with wearables they’re also on wrists, and even fingers to some extent.

What’s particularly interesting, however, is that it’s been several years since the first foldable phones were launched and they’re still merely a minor category in the overall market. Samsung's and, for that matter, Huawei’s dedication to the foldable phone category show there’s still plenty of potential.

Regardless of where you fall in the foldable phone debate, as this newsletter has stated before, the companies that make the devices are still very much dominating the marketplace of attention, from the standpoint of both consumers and technology journalists. AI is big but the devices where AI will be used are even bigger, setting the stage for a new device arms race that will give the public some interesting purchase options.

Quoted | “Huawei's recent overtaking of Samsung in the foldable smartphone market indeed signals that the foldable wars are set to take centre stage … the competitive landscape is intensifying”

– Andreas Thalassinos, senior market analyst at Neotrades


Future in focus

Can the wind turbine be improved? AFP
Can the wind turbine be improved? AFP

Winds of change | Why a UAE inventor has high hopes for his 'self-adaptive' wind turbine patent

The thrill of victory | Why AI will have an unprecedented impact at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris

Preserving culture | Technology is helping to keep North Africa's indigenous Tamazight language relevant

Rampant consumption | How AI is the solution to a new energy problem it partially created


Predicting the future: Signal or noise?

The urban air VoloCity taxi flies over Paris. Photo: Volocopter
The urban air VoloCity taxi flies over Paris. Photo: Volocopter

A move to approve the use of a barge on the Seine river for flying taxis during the Paris Olympics has prompted the threat of legal action by city leaders.

This is a signal: One could say that finding innovative ways to get from A to B is embedded in our DNA. That said, controversies surrounding those transport approaches have also been a part of the human experience. Noise pollution, safety concerns and an overall "not in my backyard" mentality tend to pop up from time to time. While some countries may be quick to try to adopt the latest transport methods such as flying taxis, others will take a more cautious approach to try to calm a concerned citizenry about new modes of travel. As operating costs come down and new transport ideas proliferate, expect to see more legal challenges as well.


 

In case you missed it

A rendering of the Foodstuffs, Fruit and Vegetables Hub in Dubai. Photo: Dubai Media Office
A rendering of the Foodstuffs, Fruit and Vegetables Hub in Dubai. Photo: Dubai Media Office

What to expect as Dubai seeks to set up the 'world's largest' food-trading logistics centre

Gateway: 3D animation offers glimpse of UAE airlock on Nasa’s Moon-orbiting station

Can Revibe revolutionise the market for refurbished devices?

Opinion: How ‘coffee badging’ and other trends percolated into global workplace culture

Does Adam White hold the keys to the future of sport media content?

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