Disruptive technology is the term used to describe a new technology that displaces an already existing one. These new inventions have taken away the market share from the existing technology, making them obsolete.
Do you remember the days when you had to tune your TV and VCR to watch a movie? Or the times when you had to use the cassette player to listen to your favorite music? Today, all you need to do is tune into your music player and listen to your favorite music while on the move! Who needs to go to a movie theater to watch a movie? If you are a big movie buff, you might go; else, you can sit back on your couch and enjoy the movie on your TV sets, thanks to the direct-to-home services. Such technologies have wiped out the old technology and replaced it with the new one. However, please note that upgrading a particular technology cannot be disruptive as the old technology might still be used. Only the technologies which are no longer used are included in this category. At Buzzle, we bring to you such disruptive technologies that have changed the market scenario for the older technologies!
Disruptive Technology Examples
Digital Receiver
Remember the old video players that you had to tune into to watch your favorite movies? You had to rent a videotape and plug it in the video cassette recorder to watch the movie! Today, all you need is a digital receiver, and you can watch the latest movies without having to leave your home. Quite an achievement, I must say.
Pen Drive
Data storage devices have evolved in no time. In the good old days, we had floppy drives that were our source of storing data. When you needed to give your friend an important document, you burned it on a floppy disk and gave it to him. Then came the age of CDs. Here, you could burn high Kb data on the disk, but the CD could be used only once. Then came the era of DVD and rewritable CD/DVD. Today, we have moved even further where we have USB devices, storing data in GB sizes. Think of it — once upon a time; we were supposedly happy using floppy disks!
Camcoder/Digital Camera
Clicking a picture and getting to view the pic used to take days in olden times. By olden times I mean, a generation or two before the current one. We had to load our cameras with a film roll, and when the capacity of the roll was finished, we had to give it for development. Then, only after a few days/weeks we could get to see the pics. Today, we can see the pictures as soon as we click them. No more waiting for days on end! And if we don’t like the pic, we can delete it then and there. Quite an advancement!
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Cell Phone
Earlier, when we needed to send a message to someone, we had to page them! Remember the tiny devices, which displayed only messages? Pagers were the “in” thing when they were launched! But the drawback was, you couldn’t reply through pages. Later, two-way pagers were developed, but it was too late by then. Mobile phones had already arrived. With smartphones being the new ones on the block, pages are a thing of passé.
MP3 Players
Our earlier generations had to carry those huge portable stereo systems to listen to their favorite music while traveling. Then came the Walkman era that took over the stereo systems. However, today, the market leader is taken over by small, finger-sized MP3 players. These small devices can store GBs of data, and they fit comfortably in your pocket too! What a way of downsizing technology!
LED Screens
With the latest innovations in technologies, our television sets have become slimmer. Earlier, the TV screens were huge with protrusions from the rear side. However, today, the screens are LED-based, thus appearing sleek and raising the bar for quality products. This brought a revolution in television screens, and soon, computer screens implemented the same.
Light-emitting Diodes (LED Bulbs)
Incandescent light bulbs were considered to be the only source of street lighting until the last few years. Nowadays, LED bulbs are used for lighting purposes. Due to the low power consumption and high quality of these bulbs, they have proved disruptive to light bulbs. Many automobile manufacturers have also gone ahead and replaced the traditional bulbs with LED lights for lighting purposes.
In the olden days, the only source of passing on a message to relatives/friends was through postcards at the time of emergencies. You needed to write down the message, and the receiver would be able to read the sent message only after a few days. The invention of email turned out to be disruptive for postcards. With emails, the messages are delivered on time, and the receiver instantly receives the message in seconds!
Soon-to-be Disruptive Technologies
The technology makers are disruptive in more than one technology that they specialize in. These companies have made it big in a certain domain and introduced disruptive technologies that have become market leaders. Let us take a look at these companies and their inventions. [Source: 50 Disruptive Companies, MIT Technology Review, 2013]
Audi: It is working on creating a laser-scanner road detector fitted in the vehicle’s front grille. Audi is targeting the autonomous market segment.
Apple: It is planning to introduce Retina displays to iPads and MacBooks as well.
Novartis: It is coming up with a continuous drug manufacturing technology that will combine compounds in a novel way to make new drugs.
Philips: It develops an LED bulb whose operation can be controlled using your tablets and phones.
IBM: If this invention works out, then data will be transmitted via light! This is what IBM is aiming at.
ABB: It is trying to improvise a circuit breaker for high-voltage DC lines used in renewable energy sources.
Aero: It is working towards streaming local TV programs on mobile devices.
Corning: It develops a new flexible glass that is thin and strong enough to be used in touchscreen devices.
Kymeta: The company is developing a small antenna that will replace the dish antennas so that the planes will get better broadband service.
Leap Motion: With its latest technology, we will not need a keyboard for performing many operations. It has developed a controller that will be controlled by gestures made in the air!
With so many latest technologies being developed every day, the ones currently used are bound to become obsolete in the coming years. Their market share will reduce and will be replaced by new and more effective technologies.
New Technology in Cars
Since the inception of cars in the market today, car technology is advancing at a fast pace. Let’s look at the new technology in cars, which you will find interesting to learn.
The technology used in cars has changed tremendously over time. Car technology is updated constantly to enhance the comfort levels and safety of the car owners. There is no doubt that the cost of cars with the most sophisticated technologies is high. But, if they are more stylish, comfortable, and energy-efficient, people are ready to invest more. The following are some of the new technologies in cars.
Navigation System
Economy Mode
Curtain Airbags
Black Box Technology
Run-Flat Tires
Car That Parks by Itself
Car That Drives by Itself
Navigation System
Cars with navigation systems are becoming quite common in the United States. This advanced car technology guides the driver with audible and visual directions. The driver has to enter the destination, and the system guides accordingly. You can drive around in the city without knowing the actual route you will be driving.
Economy Mode
All car owners are very conscious about issues like conserving fuel as far as possible. Let’s take the example of using an air conditioner (AC). Many of us are in the habit of switching it off when it is not required. In recent times, automobile manufacturers are making cars with the ‘economy mode’ feature, which automatically switches off the non-essential systems of the car.
Curtain Airbags
Car airbags placed on the dashboard and steering wheel have been in use for the last few decades. In some of the latest car models, curtain airbags are placed in the headliner area, just above the windows, as a car safety feature. This ensures minimum head injury to both the person sitting in the front seat and the back seat during a car accident.
Black Box Technology
Black box technology, also known as event data recorders (like the flight recorders used in airplanes), is used to record the details of the car at a certain time. In North America, this feature is installed in a majority of the cars with airbags. With this, the car owner can show proof of the driving speed, the location, and other details. This advanced technology is beneficial in terms of legal issues and car insurance claims, such as car accidents.
Run-Flat Tires
Run-flat tires are a feature in some latest hybrid cars, in which the tires do not change their shape, even without air pressure in them. In a case of an emergency, the car with these tires can be driven for about 50 miles or so. Thus, with run-flat tires, the convenience and security levels of the car are increased.
Car That Parks by Itself
Imagine a car that parks by itself! Yes, I am not kidding, cars with such a system will come on the market soon. With such advanced technology, the driver only needs to put his foot on the brake, and automatically, the car will parallel park by itself. Well! Doesn’t this sound very interesting? It will be useful while managing the car in tight parking areas and garages.
Car That Drives by Itself
With so many advanced car technologies, automobile manufacturers thought of making a car that drives on its own! A car without a driver driving it! Yes, the Toyota Prius is modified to the driverless version A.V.O.S (Automatic Vehicle Operation System). With the advancement of robotic features and navigation systems, the time will come soon when a car owner will seat himself in the back seat, and the car will drive to a predetermined destination.
Seeing these new car technologies, there is no doubt the automobile industry is growing at an amazing speed. Let’s hope to induce more sophisticated car technologies with safety features shortly so that traffic accidents are minimized.