What a year it was for the web and technology but where will it go in 2017? 2016 saw the advent of connectivity, responsive and simple. I believe 2017 will usher in some even more big changes into the tech and web. Here are my thoughts on where it is all going in 2017.

1920 X 1080 becomes the new standard

Screen resolution keeps growing and growing, with the fact that buying a big display is becoming cheaper and cheaper. Currently 1366 x 768 is the most used screen ratio according to stat tracker. 1920 is currently in second place and  is growing very very fast and with the advent of 4k and bigger displays becoming the must haves 2017 could be a very interesting year for screen resolution. More than likely this year we will see once again the display standard change.

The rise of In browser payments

Apple has started a trend which I believe will be picking up mega speed in 2017. If case you missed it, you can now use apple pay with your new Mac, or even with your phone through the safari browser. You can very much count on Google to do the same thing with Chrome and Android Pay, I expect Samsung to do the same thing with Samsung Pay in the future as well. Also you  These systems will be very nice but I hope I HOPE these systems will be very secure because it would have a downside of someone stealing your thumbprint and using it elsewhere. And that is an issue I must raise, cause you can change your credit card if its stolen but you can’t change your thumb print if that is stolen.

VR Websites

With VR growing, even if I consider it a fad currently cause it is in its infancy, VR websites could become something new. Could you imagine having to create a website that has the resolution of an IMAX theater in a VR headset or something that surrounds the user with data a la something you see in Ghost in the Shell. I could see shopping websites picking up VR cause it could help their users pick out whatever they are shopping for and purchasing easier.

Wearables 2.0

According to some tech blogs like Gizmodo smartwatches are dying, they are half baked expensive tech that loses their flare after a few weeks. A smartwatch to me is something that looks like an actual watch and not something that looks like a toy watch I won at a fair. Smartwatches will probably make a big statement in 2017 with more features, and a new bar being set with standard features like being waterproof, wireless charging, and offline use. I think most smartwatches will figure out how to have at least a full day of battery life. Yes, we will probably get a few more sensors, but smartwatches in general will become more accurate and more long lasting.

Privacy and Security

With the ever growing concern of hacking and people’s privacy and data being invaded and or used against them. I think we will see a more user focused world. With customer data being sold, kept and the always on tech collecting information, I can see a new user movement asking companies to stop this new level of invading their customers privacy. I also think companies will start adding in the “right to be forgotten” to if someone creates an account, there will be a delete button that actually deletes the persons data once they delete their account. Security will also become something that many users will raise a question to when shopping or buying or even using a service. Web Services like Signal, VPN, and web browsers like Brave will probably be growing in use in 2017 due to the privacy and security these apps bring to the table that top many of the popular apps.

Phones Become Laptops

Now I am not saying we are going to get something along the lines of westworld with how their phones fold out into a perfectly nice tablet size. But we could start to see what Microsoft and Asus has been trying. And with Microsoft starting to produce apps that are targeting ARM chips. We could very well see a more focus on their responsive apps such as what Microsoft’s Continuum was trying to accomplish. We could very well see this trend pick up especially when you factor in the amount of ram and Intel’s new chipset speeds. A phone that easily becomes a desktop could very well become something that businesses purchase. Could you imagine being able to easily dock at a workstation and do all your work from just your phone?

In Closing…

2017 for tech and web will be a interesting thing to watch, with tech probably being more optimized, the pushing forward of augmented and VR technology. Not to mention we will probably start seeing that cross tech happening where you can use your phone with your computer more. I expect also security  to be something everyone talks about when introducing a new app or service. I am excited to see where the new trends go in this upcoming year.

See you space cowboy…