16 Tech Trends to Watch in 2015

Technology is moving at a faster and faster pace, with innovations becoming more frequent and more impactful. Here are 16 tech trends predicted by venture capitalist Marc Andreessen that could make major inroads in the year ahead:

• Virtual reality. This has been a science fiction staple for many years, but technology may finally be poised to make it accessible to the masses.
• Businesses could start to use sensor technologies to increase operational efficiency and reduce employee workloads.
• Data and learning. Big data is meaningless without tools to interpret it; in the year ahead, those tools are poised to make forward leaps and bounds.
• The “full stack.” Startups will have the ability to create a “full stack” of services that circumvent competitors to take their products and services directly to consumers.
• Containers isolate software from the hardware that runs them, opening up a whole new world of mobile possibilities.
• Say goodbye to long wait times; confer with your doctor from the comfort of your own home through a smartphone link.
• Digital marketplaces. With more and more users going mobile, new online marketplaces specifically designed for wireless technologies are emerging.
• Online security. The rise of mobile and wireless technology has created new security concerns, which enterprising professionals are tackling head-on.
• Bitcoin and similar cryptocurrencies could go mainstream in 2015.
• Cloud computing. Already a transformative presence in the digital world, cloud computing will continue to grow and thrive in the year ahead.
• This buzzword isn’t going away in the year ahead; if anything, it will become even more ubiquitous.
• Internet of Things. The IoT will connect everything from your garage door to your coffee maker to the Internet, enabling remote control and programming options that will transform everyday life.
• Online video. This booming vertical will continue its rapid growth, with increasing user demand forcing technical innovations that will deliver a superior experience.
• Telemetrics will become a regular feature in the insurance industry, using Internet-connected devices to track things like driving habits.
• Development operations. Widely known as “DevOps,” development operations take a nimbler, more responsive approach to software development.
• Success and failure. Some of these trends will come and go in the blink of an eye, while others will stick around for the long term. The way the success of an app development company is measured could begin to change.

New York city app development professionals and software designers around the country would be wise to watch these trends closely. Those that catch on could open the door to major opportunities to develop “the next big thing” in mobile software.