Technology is accelerating at a faster and faster pace. We look back and laugh at 8-track or Beta video tapes in 2019, but how soon will we look at our current cutting edge tech (like current generation SmartPhones with amazing cameras and facial/fingerprint biometrics or our growing “connected” SmartHomes and devices) and laugh like we do with technology from the 70’s and 80’s?
We look back and laugh at 8-track…but how soon will we look at our current cutting edge tech and laugh…?
Have you ever picked up an original iPod or one of the first generation iPhones recently? Or looked back at iOS 6? (BTW – That was the 6th generation iOS!)
Times are a changing fast! However, there has been a strategic shift more recently to technology that continues to get better with time. That is something that I continue to use as a barometer for any serious tech/expense purchase I am plotting to take. Some things, like a SmartPhone will continue to have a finite life and won’t typically last past several years, but many tech items are being created to have longevity baked into their foundation.
…there has been a strategic shift more recently to technology that continues to get better with time.
A perfect example in the auto/tech industry is Tesla Motors. Tesla at its core is a tech (and many would argue a software) company, who happens to make cars. Although the Tesla vehicles have continued to improve in the past 10 years, the current set of vehicles is primed for the future! The hardware installed on current Tesla vehicles will allow continued software updates, that not only improve the user experience (or make the cars actually faster!) but will someday unlock the ability of Full Self Driving (and even a ride share service to earn you money with your car when you are not using it!)
This is a prime example of something created today that will continue to get better with time. But not just the obvious Tesla Motors fits into this paradigm. Several other products already reviewed on TechDadCO.com (or will be soon) follow along these lines.
Our first review of the Ring Family of Cameras and Security is a prime example. The hardware is set for the platform (even though Ring continues to release new hardware categories like smart lights) but the software and integration continues to improve the overall platform and experience.
Another example previously reviewed is the Apollo Outdoor TV enclosure. Not in a software way, but rather the TV enclosure allows the replacement of the actual TV you choose in the future when they are better, brighter, faster, and more feature rich!
There are plenty of other examples listed on the “My Recs” page for future/upcoming review that also follow this lead, like the June Oven, Sonos Sound Speakers, Rachio Smart Irrigation, or the Skydio R1 Autonomous Drone!
Please continue the discussion below in the comments section if this resonates with you or share this article on your social media.
Stay tuned for the next recommendations and reviews from the growing TechDadCO team 🙂
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Tech Dad CO 
I’m curious on your take of the recent Sonos announcement regarding end of support for some of their older devices. End of support is common, everyone does it and it makes sense. Microsoft can’t support Windows XP forever. But Sonos stated that if you have even a single now-deemed-legacy device in your Sonos system, NONE of your Sonos products (even one you may have bought last week), will receive future updates. So if Spotify changes their API, and because I have a single Play 5 purchased in 2013 on my network, my 2 new amps I got last year, my playbar, my sub, and all my Play 1s will no longer be compatible with Spotify, unless I stop using my $500 Play 5, which functions perfectly, as they have deemed it “legacy”. Sonos has since backtracked ~slightly~ on this, but I believe this to have exposed a major weakness in smart devices & homes. Will I have to swap out 50 light switches every 6 or 7 years due to various incompatibilities and end-of-support? Phones and cars need replaced, but my mind tells me that speakers & light switches are MUCH longer-term investments than a phone or car. It seems the current state of technology may be attempting to change that mindset.
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Excellent question and commentary Bryan! Yeah this Sonos thing irked me too and their backtrack was likely the huge backlash this caused. My take is just like what you have laid out. Some things in life are meant to last long (mechanical light switches are a good example), but every piece of hardware with technology will eventually not be able to gets update (or specifically new enhancements). The trouble is that range of product life varies depending on the technology product. Devices based on recognized standards should have the greatest longevity (like smart switches based on established standards now like z-wave or zigbee) but agree with your points. I think what I personally love are the devices and hardware we have now that even are able to get an update with enhanced functionality. It was not long ago that the TV you bought would NEVER get updated or the car you bought could not get updated (or you had to bring it in to the dealership to do so). But now more and more devices allow OTA updates to extend their longevity. But the key word is extend. As the technology advances faster and faster (even with the ability to install updates with new features) the actual hardware product lifecycle may actually continue to shorten!
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