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2016 depending on your point of view has been a bit of an odd one but the world in tech has certainly not disappointed. In this our first of two posts Wrighty and Camps go over the movers and shakers and the not so good. Going from 10 to 6 in what BTN thought were the bigger stories of a strange year.

10. iPhone 7

Wrighty says...
This year Apple released what is probably one of their least inspiring updates to the iPhone ever but it did raise a few eyebrows. Even though it looked pretty much identical to its previous two incarnations, the removal of the headphone jack is what got everyone talking. For me the removal of this ancient port isn’t so much of an upheaval as many years before I invested in the wireless lifestyle, but I can see why it got so many people’s backs up.

I guess that if Apple had a solution for this wireless future they would come out with a product that would guide us to this new way of thinking. But wait. They did. That would be the AirPods but you couldn’t buy them up until very recently so a sour taste in the mouth was well and truly left. Maybe if they made enough that would ease some of the tensions but it seems that you need to trade in your first born to get one. Also another reason why for the first time this year I decided not to upgrade and I’m loving it.

Camp’s says…
Over the last few iterations of the iPhone, improvements have been steadily coming through but it's clear that smartphone technology advances really aren't moving as fast as they once were. For me the appetite to upgrade my iPhone every year, or even every 2 years just isn't there anymore as the iPhone 6 is still performing well for my needs. Don't however get me wrong, I've had the opportunity to play with the iPhone 7 and it's a really nice phone. I wasn't upset about the removal of the headphone jack, I use a set of Bose Bluetooth earbuds so losing a wired option was never going to hit me and the increased water resistance is more than a sufficient payoff.. The screen is stunning, the responsive mechanical home button is lightning fast and the camera on the 7 plus is awesome for most users photography needs.

BUT, Apple's execution of delivery has been terrible of late across many of their products and it seems that if you don't get your order in within seconds of launch then you are likely to be waiting several weeks. This year Apple also launched the upgrade program and I can only see that causing further delays in 2017 as the volume of annual upgraders will increase as a result and therefore further stretch demand. I’m sure however I will be ready to upgrade once the iPhone 8!?! comes along so I’ll need to make sure I'm quick off the mark with my order.

9. Google Pixel

Wrighty says...
So with the fragmentation on Android and their partners literally burning like hot garbage Google decided to take the fate of their operating system into their own hands by releasing the Pixel, a phone exclusively from their own fair hand. Unlike the Nexus programme that had other manufacturers design and build handsets to what seemed to be a lukewarm reception, this time they were involved in every aspect and cunningly kept some of the more exclusive features to themselves, something that would surely annoy their partners up until the point that they’d be allowed to use them. Mainly the Google Assistant and VR.

Having used the phone in person it is most certainly an impressive device even though it does look like a rip off of the iPhone in form. It will be interesting to see how this pans out.

Camp’s says…
Google dropped the Nexus brand and introduced the Pixel and the larger Pixel XL to the world during 2016. The launch of the Google Pixel couldn't have been better timed as Samsung made headlines for the wrong reasons (more on that later..) but I can't help but feel that Google really missed the chance to exploit the opportunity.. I suspect the potential of upsetting Samsung, the largest hardware manufacturer of Android handsets was too much of a risk to rub salt into the 3rd degree burns..

I've not managed to get my hands on a Pixel as yet but the devices are widely reported as being the best Android handsets ever created and indeed possibly best flagship phone to date! Although assembled by HTC, the Pixel has been designed, engineered and sold by Google meaning like Apple they have been able to control and optimise their hardware for their Android platform. Although I've never been an Android fan the Pixel could have tempted me to give it a go however the high price point and lack of face to face specialist after sales means for me Apple still haste the nose in the smartphone race.

8. Self Driving Cars

Wrighty says...
Whether you believe in the future of autonomous driving 2016 certainly made it seem more real. With Google upping their efforts and Uber implementing it in favour of their human employees there was also tragedy with the first Telsa driver death. Not a fault of the software but of the sad loss of the driver who was not in complete control of his vehicle. It will be very interesting to see how the roads will look in the future but at the moment it is still a work in progress.

Camp’s says…
Self driving cars fascinate me and I really see these being the norm in the future and the eventual solution to safer roads, after all autonomous cars don't text whilst driving, drink & drive, get tired at the wheel or lose concentration whilst telling the kids to keep quiet. I however feel that future is many years away yet. The technology to make it happen doesn't look to be too far away but I suspect that cyber security, transport policy and legal red tape will be key factors in why this is years away from any mass adoption. I feel it's only when all vehicles on the road are autonomous, vehicle sensors are good enough to detect the differences between millions of environment factors, the technology is secure that we’ll see roads full of Johnny Cabs playing nicely with regular cars, trucks and buses..

7. The New Macbook Pro

Wrighty says...
With the lack of updates to the Mac lineup you could be easily forgiven for thinking that Apple favour iOS over Mac OS. There was so much promise for their ‘Hello Again’ announcement this year but it seemed to turn many against the changes than embraced it.

As you well know the new Macbook Pro with Touchbar and hiked price tag put a number of loyal fanboys off the idea of moving on, plus the removal of ports and the increased need for dongles. The saddest thing for me is the killing off of the Macbook Air which to my my and will always be the greatest laptop ever made. I love my 11” Air, it is my lifeline. If I was to replace such a portable device they would say that the new Macbook would be the solution but it is underpowered and too expensive for what it is plus it has only one bloody port. Then there is the Macbook Pro ‘Escape’ which is the new 13” Pro without Touchbar and only two ports. Again too expensive and with Microsoft innovating as fast as they are they could be a real threat. Plus, Windows 10 is actually a pretty decent OS. Do we think Apple will go back on these decisions? I think not.

Camp’s says…
Like so many others I was eagerly anticipating the announcements at Apple's “Hello again” event in October and in my mind I was ordering the new MacBook Pro before it had been announced to replace my 11” Early 2011 model. Watching the event live however I have to admit I was sat on the fence, the 2nd Gen butterfly keyboard and Force Touch Trackpad appealed to me but the previous gen processors and loss of the MagSafe connection was a disappointment. Then came the highlight of the announcement, the OLED Touchbar. This Retina display bar sits where you'd expect the keyboard function keys to be and it's function changes dependent on the application you are using to provide a series of touch/gesture responsive controls. The Touchbar is a great innovation and I see it having real advantages in some applications however I share Ewen’s views that ergonomically it may not be in the optimum location for many users who may have to unnaturally lean forward when seated to see and use it. The big surprise for me however was the scale of the price increase in the U.K. which although I appreciate is as a result of a number of factors, it just doesn't justify the spec bump of the machine at this point in time.

In the days following the event many opinions were that this wasn't really a “Pro” machine however I feel that Apple have delivered a good machine for a broad range of Pro users such as writers, designers, photo editors etc Top end power users who rely on pure processing power are unlikely to be chomping at the bit though even with the most maxed out options.

6. Pokemon Go

Wrighty says...
There haven’t been many phenomenon in the Android and iOS app stores for some years but this year gave us the biggest but also the most short lived. Pokemon Go took the world by storm with many of us in the UK either choosing to fake a US account or sideloading it onto our devices. The premise was simple, walk around and be alerted to Pokemon you could catch and then battle others to dominate the various gyms littered throughout the world. It really was a great idea based on the original concept of Ingress.

For weeks there were crowds of people flocking to Poke Stops to catch rare Pokemon but as quickly as it caught on it faded just as fast and I am sure many have now deleted it from our phones mainly due to its over zealous use of data and battery life. It did make Nintendo and Niantic a shed load of cash so I guess everyone won, something to do over the summer hols and a cash generator for those who created it.

Camp’s says...
Pokemon Go hit the world with a bang in early July and within only a few months became the most downloaded app in its first week ever and the fastest app to reach 50 million downloads from the Google Play store. By September Niantic announced at the Apple iPhone 7 event that Pokemon Go had been downloaded a massive 500 million times worldwide since its debut! I remember talking on the Big Show that I liked the way that Pokemon Go used augmented reality to overlay Pokemon characters into real locations via the smartphone camera and was a real incentive to getting people up from the sofa and outdoors exploring. I downloaded to see what the hype was all about and quickly lost interest however days later when my daughter had heard about it at school and wanted to go catch some Pokemon I instantly grasped the opportunity to combine some extra bonding time with exercise and linking this in with walking the dog it became a regular daily thing. I thought that the novelty of the game would wear very quickly but with the India launch in mid December on top of the existing now 500 million downloads and extensions to wearables it's fair to say that this game will be around for a long time yet.

Author

Paul Wright

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