Technology is a volatile field, changing and altering constantly with new products regularly being offered to the consumer. Spotting the next big thing is often difficult, even for industry insiders. “Difficult”, however, is not the same thing as “impossible”. The good news is that due to the popularity and profitability of various types of technology, there are many resources for discovering and tracking the latest technological trends.
1. Social networking tools like Twitter and Facebook are good for monitoring things that are likely to change at any moment, so that by following the right companies and people, it is possible to have fingers on the pulses of both the industry and the market. From the release of new products, to the general public perception of new technology, social networking is an invaluable tool for gaining an understanding of how big a trend a particular product is and is likely to become.
2. Popular technology blogs are another way to get fresh information, in particular, they are good for in-depth reviews of products prior to wide release. Often these are able to reliably predict trends. Industry rumors and speculation often (though not always!) turn out to be fact, and these blogs can be a hotbed for that kind of thing. They also offer news and developments within the industry. If the blogs follow a particular niche, for example, gaming consoles, they can prove an exceptional insider resource with news on equipment and games that it would be difficult or impossible to find anywhere else.
3. Comdex and similar technological exhibitions are extensively followed by those who track technology for a living. Technology manufacturers often used these trade shows to reveal their top secret projects and to gauge market response. Playing close attention to what devices are revealed by the various manufacturers and how they are receive by reviewers and the public can often give insight into which trends will take off and which will not.
4. Shopping websites are another way to gauge how popular certain products are, both by how well they sell and what the comments on those products reveal.
As with any pursuit, the person who wishes to follow trends in the technological world will need to be armed with a serious interest in, and knowledge of, technology. Depending on how seriously it is taken, discovering trends in technology can take considerable research time and an almost journalistic desire to ferret out the truth.