5 Overhyped Tech Trends in Technology Media

The technology media sometimes takes on the characteristics of an echo chamber. Certain topics and trends reverberate more loudly than they probably should, and thus create a lot of noise and feedback.

As a digital marketing specialist in technology retail, part of my job involves identifying the industry trends that influence how we communicate with our customers. The job requires tapping into the actual concerns of my target audience, identifying the topics connected to it, and filtering out the media hype that may surround those topics.

Here are five messages in the tech media, where, in my opinion, the hype outweighs actual sentiments in the industry.

Declaring the death of the desktop PC

For years we have been hearing that desktop computing is losing out to mobile options like tablets and smartphones. While PC sales are certainly on the decline, the desktop unit is far from dead. The simple facts are that desktop PCs are more reliable, easier to repair, provide a better power to cost ratio than other devices, and can be custom-built to the desired specifications. This will keep them in use for the foreseeable future, particularly in the workplace.

Apple Watch and the wearables revolution

A year after the April 2014 launch of the Apple Watch, consumers haven’t quite come up with a good reason to own one. The iPhone-tied accessory lacks standalone functionality to adequately pique consumer interest typically seen for Apple products. The tiny screen makes using many phone applications cumbersome, causing users to question the point of the Apple Watch beyond a simple fashion accessory.

Driverless cars are coming in the near future

The prospect of riding in a car that drives itself has dominated the technology media for the better part of the last two years. While it is believable they will be a factor in the coming years, some reports might be overzealous with their timeline. Companies engaged in developing driverless vehicles have struggled with using AI to negotiate ethical dilemmas in real-time decision-making; driving in adverse weather conditions has been problematic, as has conforming behavior in police-dictated traffic situations. That’s not to mention consumer demand for driverless vehicles is not exactly overwhelming at this point in development.

Curved TVs are the next big thing in digital display

In an effort to provide a more immersive experience for viewers, manufacturers introduced curved high definition TVs to the high-end consumer market. While some curved TVs did just that--they had to be at least 50 inches wide to provide the effect--for the most part, the experience proved underwhelming for the premium price tag. Additionally, the curved shape contributed to glare problems at certain angles, and uneven picture lighting was also a common complaint. In the end, the benefits just weren’t worth the extra dough for a lot of consumers.

Windows Phones will disrupt the smartphone market

Microsoft built Windows 10 with the much-hyped Continuum feature designed to make Windows UX consistent across PC, tablet, and smartphone. This triggered the hope that MS would finally gain foothold in the Apple- and Android- dominated mobile OS market. Armed with attractive-enough Lumia Windows Phones, sales have been abysmal. With market share hovering around 1% for the year. One the bright side, it is still beating BlackBerry.

Adam Lovinus is a technology writer and B2B content marketing specialist based in Southern California.