The pandemic has forced humanity forward as everyone has had to make rapid changes to adapt to the restrictions put upon them by the coronavirus. As society leverages more on tech, things that might have been years on to the future are now a reality we make use of today.
- Renewable energy
Even though the pandemic has negatively affected various industries, the adoption of renewable energy remains strong and has even been more impactful. Solar power has been one of the frontrunners in this category, seeing faster adoption rates in recent years and experiencing growth despite the expected slowdown that came with the pandemic.
People have turned to wind and solar because the energy costs are much lower throughout operations, making it more economical to use during a time that has majorly affected the economy and the job situations of millions. For this reason, the industry briefly saw a downturn as people felt nervous spending to adopt new tech, but then saw a significant uptick over “traditional” sources over the course of the year because of its sustainability and affordability.
- Digital banking
One of the biggest sectors that have been slow to change is banking, yet it has seen a huge leap this year in tech advancement. Countless initiatives and panels have been set in motion across the globe to digitize the various aspects of the banking journey on the consumer end. Everyone has been looking to go ‘cashless’ to keep paying for their needs and send funds accordingly while still adhering to social distancing guidelines and making use of online marketplaces, lending to statistics showing a 72% increase in fintech app usage. To meet this need, we have seen various banking institutions introduce rapid upgrades to their online systems, mobile applications, customer care, security, and cloud computing.
- Personal computers
PCs have been around for a few decades now, but they have never been as accessible as today. There now seems to be a perfectly struck a balance between the power of the machine’s capabilities and its price point in the market. Once, your average user may have had to make sacrifices on PC specs or budget and usually relied on pre-built systems offered by major brands. With the coronavirus suddenly making “work from home” the default for many industries, PC sales have risen to a large degree in 2020, and the demand has been met by some keen players in the field.
Even enthusiasts have seen the introduction of new architecture in processing units and graphics cards throughout the year, with powerful multi-threading, numerous cores, and boost clocks. Entries marketed toward the casual user or workspace seeker have also seen an uptick, and gamers are no longer the sole demographic that rigs can count on when thinking of innovations and sales.
- Healthcare and research tech
Digital technologies have been the most crucial in this time, and innovations have popped up to answer the coronavirus’s spread in both response and research. In just under a year, vaccines are already being offered and slowly being rolled out in different countries – a feat that would have taken years to develop if not for the urgency put upon researchers to attempt a reboot of the economy.
In terms of med-tech we see daily, one needs only to see the new PPEs that have come out throughout the year and devices like the sanitation stations in certain countries and the like.
Today’s world seems closer than ever before to those fictional dystopias usually seen on the big screen. It has all been because of a major world event that has completely upended what “normal” is for everyone.
