Here we are at the cusp of a new year and a new decade. This feels like the appropriate time to look back at 2019 and see what advances in tech marked the year. As we all could have easily predicted, there were some major breakthroughs and other exciting strides forward in hardware and software.
It only made sense to look at the advances in each – hardware and software. This is by no means a complete guide, but you can find our coverage of most tech stories as they were breaking by clicking through on NewsWatchTV.com.
Software (but really “Streaming” because they had a baller year)
This was a big year for streaming, especially for new players on the field. Apple TV + launched this year with original programming by the likes of Steven Spielberg, JJ Abrams and Reese Witherspoon.
While that was definitely big news, there was just no way Apple was ever going to compete with Disney’s full 80+ year catalog. The house that Mickey built launched Disney Plus and surprisingly it wasn’t even their back titles that proved to be the most popular.
The Mandalorian is a viral hit if ever there was one, mainly thanks to the never-ending baby Yoda memes in everyone’s feed. It even seems to have eclipsed the newest Star Wars movie, Rise of Skywalker (which in this writer’s opinion was the best of the new trilogy).
Hardware
A lot of tech goodies being gifted this holiday season. Apple is on top with their launch of both the iPhone 11 and AirPods Pro. The 11 was not only a great new design with a robust three-lens camera, but it’s cheaper than last year’s phone. The AirPods Pro is the answer to demands for something a little more customizable than the standard AirPods. With different sized rubber tips and noise-canceling tech built-in, these bad boys were definitely a home run.
2019 saw the release of version two of the Nintendo Switch as well as the Sega Genesis Mini. Thanks to my bias for Sega, I’m just going to talk about the retro Genesis release. The system comes with 42 games including a number of classics that any true nerd would love – Altered Beast, Ecco the Dolphin, Sonic the Hedgehog, they’re all here. What’s truly amazing is how they were able to capture the experience of playing the system back in the day while removing any clunky features that sometimes accompany retro consoles.
Of course, let’s not forget the world of VR. The Oculus Quest was Facebook’s attempt to rope in potential VR users who don’t want to deal with powering their experience with a PC or even their phone. This headset offers a standalone experience and looks great. This could be the future of VR.
So those were the most exciting tech releases of 2019. With some announcements already made for 2020 and more yet to come, tech is looking to have its biggest year yet.
