Are my 2021 predictions still valid?

I wrote this in the beginning of December 2020 and I was then hopeful for the swift deployment of vaccines around the world. Now that we know that to be unfounded, I wonder if these predictions are still valid. I would love to hear your thoughts.

One thing I didn't predict is the controversial rise and surprising power of a collective. I'm talking about GME and AMC, and even now thinking that at the height of job insecurity, people were willing to join a movement and potential burn some bucks. Although some made a tonne of cash, most would have lost everything they put in.

I guess any type of social solidarity is better than feeling lonely.

Technology trends predicted for 2021

Virtual Reality – The thing we must wait for a bit longer

With the travel restrictions and the cabin fever most of us are feeling during this extended period of working from home, what people crave most is to leave their homes and to head out. 

Once most of the world is inoculated in the second half of 2021, you can expect a huge travel boom. This inadvertently will make digital only experiences like virtual reality less appealing for consumers. 

So I wouldn’t bet that Facebook with their Oculus brand of headsets for instance to make any big gains in this area in 2021. 

Augmented Reality -  The thing that will surprisingly become mainstream

Apple was rumoured to be working on AR glasses that were ready to launch. We didn’t see them in 2020, and if they actually did have a product ready and factories waiting to deliver, it was a wise choice to differ the launch to 2021. 

Although Google Glasses were a flop, I see AR glasses coming back in a big way. As travel increases and work-from-anywhere becoming more common-place, I see AR being an amazing tool to provide almost an extra sensory ability for users to work, stay connected and enjoy a foreign country seamlessly. 

Imagine real time visual translation of train maps in Shibuya station, or being able to do a Zoom call with your team while taking a morning hike up The Peak in Hong Kong! Sign me up.

Block Chain – For something actually useful this time

Finally, a great use case for block chain technology – a Covid-19 vaccination passport. With so many pharma vendors and an eventual selection of official providers for each country, there will be a huge requirement for authenticated tracking of vaccine batch, process governance, administrator, location and timely boosters. There are lots of minutia to track accurately like certification of the incredibly cold temperatures needed to transport the vaccine safely. 

This vaccination passport will be as important as your travel passport in most developed countries. Work will still need to be done to harden parts of the supply chain and administration process to prevent fraud. 

Office is special – New set of regulations will make working from home easier

There are anti-vaccination movements in many countries. We have already seen the fallout caused by anti-vaxxers with their children contracting polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases. This will also be true for those that choose to shun the Covid-19 vaccine. 

To prevent exposure or further spread of the disease to groups that are unable to get access to the vaccine, anti-vaxxers may not be allowed into work places. And if authenticated tracking is not present, a safer option would be working from home for everyone. 

Working from home may be a safer, less litigious option for companies in the future.