As we continue to evolve into the future, we continually find new ways for technology to expand and enhance every part of our world. Whether we like it or not, times are changing and the methods and tools of old are becoming extinct. As a society, we continually pushing boundaries and cultivating innovation to across every industry.
Below are 3 verticals that have seen remarkable innovations recently that have now changed the way business is done.
Drones and The Film Industry
The film industry continually is reinvented by advancements in software and hardware technology. Today, the successful commoditization of drone technology has allowed filmmakers to cost effectively create some amazing cinematography. Drones allow them to capture shots and views from almost impossible angles and vantage points that are truly spectacular.
Drones are used in numerous videos, films, shows, and movies to capture an outstanding vantage point. With the film industry consistently trying to improve on the product they produce, the drone technology and other innovative products being produced are changing the game.
Self Driving Cars and The Automobile Industry
To date, cars have been pretty generic in terms of their capabilities, mostly competing on design and brand apart from scoring well in consumer reports. But advancements in automotive technology are starting to set cars apart. Innovations such as electric cars and self driving cars are entering the industry and changing buyer behavior, as the electric car giant Tesla eclipses GM to become the most valuable US auto company.
Even while car hardware is seeing dramatic change, the fundamental business model of car ownership is also in flux. In and around large cities, ride sharing apps have brought into question whether it is necessary to even own a car as per-ride costs continue to fall and it may be more economic to not own a car.
Analytics and The Sports Industry
For decades, sports performance was evaluated based on qualitative observation rather than quantitative inspection into statistics. The sports industry operated based on emotion, but now analytics are changing the way spectators, players, coaches, scouts, and statisticians look at sports.
Refined analysis tools from companies like FantasyLabs and SAS are being used to evaluate QB Rating, projected stats, player rankings, predictions, batting average and much more. Famously portrayed in the film, Moneyball, analytics can be used to evaluate, rate, and critique players and game strategies. These tools, paired with high quality data visualization tools that make it easy to easy to understand even the largest and most unwieldy datasets. Many teams in all of professional sports have adopted this method of using analytics to help make decisions, and to great success.
Mobile Apps and The Retail Industry
The boom in mobile phone usage has created a new platform for ecommerce companies to sell to their customers. In traditional retail, consumers would trek to make their purchases in-store. But now, traditional retailers like Macys and and JCPenney are deriving an increasing share of their profits from online and mobile commerce.
With the boom of affordable cloud computing through services like Amazon EC2 and hundreds of bespoke software services, today’s productivity within technology companies is at an all time high. This trend shows no sign of slowing down.
Broader Access to Education and Information
Access to education is one of the most critical factors that defines how successful an individual will be in their society. In most parts of the developing world, the ability to access high quality education has been extremely limited.
The international expansion of internet access has allowed millions of people worldwide access high quality educational media across a range of subjects. Even domestically, the open source software movement and increasing intra-industry collaboration through high quality conferences is allowing us to accelerate the rate of progress.