Eight Tech Products That Could Define 2024

(Bloomberg Businessweek) -- For the first time in recent memory, consumer gadgetry could have a banner year. Apple Inc. will dive into its biggest new product category in years, while a startup founded by former Apple employees is selling a new type of wearable intended to supplant the iPhone as the default device of the artificial intelligence era. (Cue significant excitement and skepticism in both cases.) Gamers will likely see new versions of multiple major consoles. And the US-China competition over technology, which sometimes veers into abstract matters of government blacklists and semiconductor design, may shift to some very tangible gadgets.

Apple Vision Pro

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Every supposedly world-changing mixed-reality headset to date has fallen short, but expectations are sky-high for Apple’s new device, due early this year. The $3,500 price tag and Apple’s plan for a go-slow approach when it begins selling the headsets will temper any immediate revolution.

The Next GPT

Illustration: Aysha Tengiz for Bloomberg Businessweek

In the iPhone’s early days, each iteration seemed to herald a new era in technology. That’s how it feels now with the AI models underpinning OpenAI’s ChatGPT. A big upgrade from the company could come in the new year, though nothing is official yet.

A New Nintendo Switch

Illustration: Aysha Tengiz for Bloomberg Businessweek

While Nintendo isn’t saying anything about its plans for a gaming console, all signs point to the release of a Switch successor in time for the holiday season. There are two major unanswered questions for the next version: Will it retain the original’s distinctive design, and will it be compatible with existing games?

Tesla’s Cybertruck

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The first deliveries are already trickling out, but 2024 will be a make-or-break year for Tesla Inc.’s new truck, which has to contend with increasing competition and an odd design that could keep some buyers away.

Qi2 Wireless Charging

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Yes, some phones already have wireless charging, but the recently released Qi2 standard could lead to a litany of devices integrating the technology. Faster and safer, Qi2 could become a universal standard—and deal the decisive blow in the long fight to free gadget users from their rats’ nests of charging wires.

Disc-Less Xboxes

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Sony’s PlayStation took a big step toward download-only gaming consoles in 2023, and Microsoft Corp. plans to follow, according to a leaked strategy document. The slimmer Xboxes fit into Microsoft’s current go-anywhere, play-on-anything credo.

Humane’s AI Pin

Illustration: Aysha Tengiz for Bloomberg Businessweek

Starting at $700, this lapel pin projects information onto your palm and recognizes hand gestures and voice controls. Whether it gains any traction when shipments start in early 2024 will say a lot about the prospects of devices designed to replace phones in an AI-first world.

The Next Huawei Phone

Illustration: Aysha Tengiz for Bloomberg Businessweek

Huawei Technologies Co. shocked US policymakers in August with the release of a handset with its own made-in-China processor, showing off the resilience of the country’s chip industry. If Huawei’s new phones continue to catch up with US products, they may be the year’s most geopolitically relevant consumer devices.

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