A colleague connects a transparent projector to the glass wall of a meeting room. The image displays without blocking out natural light. This type of scene, still anecdotal in early 2023, has multiplied in showrooms and pilot offices throughout 2024. This year’s high-tech trends are not just limited to trade show announcements: several of them are already changing concrete uses, from the workstation to the smartphone slipped into the pocket.
Transparent screens in the workplace: beyond demonstration
At CES 2024, Samsung and LG showcased transparent OLED panels designed for signage and interior design. In practice, these screens are starting to be used as partition walls in open spaces, displaying real-time data overlaid on the view of the floor.
The interest is not cosmetic. A transparent screen replaces both a window and a monitor, freeing up usable space. Feedback on this point varies: readability strongly depends on ambient light, and direct lighting on the panel significantly degrades contrast.
To follow tech news on Delta News, it is noted that these devices are also of interest to retail, where the storefront becomes an interactive display without blocking the view of the products.
Generative AI in everyday life: what really changes at the workstation
ChatGPT was widely discussed in 2023. In 2024, generative AI is being directly integrated into business software. Office suites, project management tools, and graphic design platforms now include functions for generating text, images, and code.
In practice, the gain is measured in eliminated tasks: writing reports, rephrasing emails, creating presentation mockups. Technical teams also report the use of code copilots that complete or correct scripts in real time.
Concrete limits to be aware of
The quality of the output depends on the quality of the prompt. A vague prompt produces a generic result. It is observed that the companies that derive the most value from these tools are those that train their teams to formulate precise instructions.
The issue of data remains sensitive. Sending internal information to a model hosted outside the company poses a confidentiality problem. Several on-premise or sovereign cloud solutions are beginning to address this need, but their cost remains significantly higher.
- Text and image content generation: real-time time savings on repetitive tasks, but systematic human proofreading is necessary.
- Code copilots: useful for rapid prototyping, less reliable on complex architectures or languages that are underrepresented in training data.
- Embedded models on mobile: Samsung and other manufacturers are integrating AI functions directly onto the phone’s processor, reducing latency and network dependency.
Foldable smartphones in 2024: a market that isn’t taking off as expected
Foldable smartphones occupy an outsized place in media coverage compared to their actual market share. Their global market share remains around two to three percent, according to converging data from IDC, Omdia, and Counterpoint.
Omdia even documents a decline in shipments in the first half of the year, before a return to annual growth expected until 2028. The clamshell format is declining sharply, while “book” models with large screens are becoming the majority in sales.
Why price hinders adoption
A foldable often costs double that of a classic flagship. For mobile office use, the advantage of an unfolded screen is justified. For photography or social media use, the difference is marginal. The refurbished market is capturing a growing portion of buyers who, two years ago, would have opted for a new high-end model.
An interesting pattern is emerging: some professionals buy a refurbished foldable to test the ergonomics before investing in a new model. This trial circuit through refurbished devices did not exist three years ago.
Data security and connected objects: the weak link in the home network
The Internet of Things (IoT) continues to progress in 2024. Cameras, thermostats, smart locks: the number of devices per household is increasing. The concrete problem is that each connected object adds a potential entry point to the network.
In practice, installers find that the majority of users keep the default passwords for their devices. Firmware updates are not applied. These two combined oversights are enough to compromise an entire home network.
- Segment the Wi-Fi network: create a dedicated SSID for connected objects, separate from the one used for work or personal data.
- Enable automatic updates on each IoT device, or check manually at least once a month.
- Systematically replace default credentials upon installation, including on devices that seem innocuous (light bulbs, smart plugs).
Embedded security technologies are advancing, with dedicated encryption chips in the latest models of cameras and locks. The underlying trend remains that IoT security depends more on user habits than on hardware.
The high-tech innovations of 2024 share a common trait: their value is measured by actual use, not by technical specifications. A poorly lit transparent screen remains unreadable, a poorly prompted generative AI produces noise, and a premium-priced foldable only convinces a fraction of the market. The next step for each of these technologies is less about raw performance and more about integration into existing workflows.
