What Technologies Will Last?
PeterWalk
Note from the editor:
Though the following post is being posted after June, it is a valid submission for this year’s blog contest. The post was recieved in June but due to being on vacation, I was not able to post it until now.
– Andrew Smither
While I am on twitter, I follow many different topics and people. Some may be from friends I had on summer projects, some may be folks from around here, and most are news companies like USA Today, the nation’s biggest newspaper. Seemingly weekly I see a new product coming out in the tech universe, and right now the products seem to be the tablet, the newest smartphone, or 3d television. Will these products be a boom or failure? Allow me to take a look at some of the “greatest” things in techology or social media that have come out in the past decade or so.
Going back a few years ago, nobody knew what twitter even was, and now it has boomed. Several years before that, the big fad in technological stuff were netbooks and making the thinnest cell phones possible, but those have fizzled. Several years before that, high definition televisions were coming into their own, and wow have they boomed, with one in nearly every home.
Now, allow me to examine the three next “greatest” things in televisions, cell phones and tablets, and if they will boom or bust. In televisions, companies are trying to push 3d televisions, as now that the hi-def television has flooded the market, prices have gone down and now companies want to push the next “greatest” thing in 3d. While companies may think that these will succeed, I think that this fad will eventually go away, as most people have just bought hi-def televisions at a cost of $300 or more for a nice big screen. So, therefore, only the top 1 or 2% of Americans will want to spend that much on a product which has yet to run its course.
With cell phones, back in 2003 or so, the Motorola RAZR was the hottest thing in the market, but that went away fairly quickly once the hippest technological maker out there, Apple came out with the iPhone and revolutionized the industry with these handy little tools known as “apps”, short for applications came out and people found the value in just tapping an icon to send them to their favorite social media website or email or could use their phone as their own personal global positioning system, which the item now known as a smartphone is quickly replacing. The iPhone has spawned imitators, like the HTC Evo, the Samsung nexus S, and the ever growing DROID phones, but they are all wanting to be the iPhone. The smartphone is here to stay and will continually evolve I believe to be an item that more will have than have not.
Now, the tablet, which is basically a netbook, which is a smaller version of a laptop. Netbooks were coming into style when again, Apple decided to come out with the iPad, a tablet computer. With those unfamiliar with a tablet, it is basically a really big version of a smartphone, it has a touch screen, lots of apps, and a front facing camera, which can be used for face to face realtime talks. Tablets are incredibly popular right now, and this is toughest market to gauge if they will ultimately succeed or fail. As tablets are still relatively new to the market, only coming out 15 months ago, in April 2010. Tablets are convenient, as they can be taken anywhere to surf the web or watch a movie on or what have you, but does anyone really need three computer based electronics? A smarthphone, which is a phone, a gps, a camera, a music player and is incredibly convenient to view your emails and news on, a tablet, a seven to ten inch version of a smartphone without the phone capabilities and is really kinda bulky to carry around along with your smartphone. Then, there is the old standard of a personal computer or laptop. Laptops are essentially tablets, but without the apps. Laptops have comparable battery life, and have a ton more storage and are about as fast as a tablet. Then, there is the regular old pc, which lasts longer than a laptop, but lacks the portability of one. So, ultimately, when it comes down to it, I think tablets will fade off into the sunset, much like the old RAZR, the walkman, and the VCR.

West Lawn, PA, May 2, 2024 — Eberly Systems , the West Lawn-based managed IT services and managed voice provider, today announces its acquisition of the Lebanon-based LYLAB Technology Solutions. Eberly Systems seeks to further a movement of people who are motivated and equipped to make a difference in their world through their daily work. They believe in building lasting partnerships based on trust and transparency while delivering industry-leading solutions to support and protect critical business assets. Driven by the principles of people, excellence, integrity, and stewardship, the team prides itself on partnering with companies to securely, reliably, and efficiently grow their businesses. “We cannot be more excited to join forces with the LYLAB team,” comments Kordel Eberly, Eberly Systems President & Founder. “ The integration of LYLAB Technology Solutions into Eberly Systems solidifies our commitment to providing small businesses with unparalleled service and support. We’re proud of this new opportunity to carefully design and manage the IT infrastructure and systems of even more local businesses and communities.” The acquisition solidifies the Eberly Systems commitment to supporting businesses in Lebanon County. Merging the two teams together as one entity offers the collective team the benefit of enhancing capabilities, refining processes, and extending reach to better serve the evolving needs of small businesses in the surrounding area. Future plans include expanding their presence into Lancaster County.