ARTICLE

Future Fit: What’s Hot In Home Computer Tech And How To Stay Ahead Of The Curve

June 24, 2022 - 3 min read

Back in the 1950s – when The Good Guys first appeared – Australia was marking a lot of firsts. Australia’s first digital computer was publicly demonstrated in 1951. The CSIRAC was roughly the size of a bedroom, and it was the first digital computer in the world to play music. It had no operating system, and its internal memory could only hold 768 words, roughly the length of this article.

In less than a century, we’ve gone from massive machines that couldn’t do much, to iPads that can entertain children with every cartoon ever made. It was machines like the CSIRAC that paved the way for Fitbits, laptops, tablets, smartphones and the internet. So now, we all have our own computers.

As The Good Guys celebrate 70 years of helping Australians pay less every day, we ponder what’s next in family-friendly tech.

What Is The Future Of Computer Tech?

The latest computer tech trends are all about meeting the needs of the modern lifestyle – for work, play, life admin and everything in between.

One of the most exciting trends on the horizon is the extension of reality, says Jason Tavoletti, Tech Buyer at The Good Guys.
“With such big companies investing in the metaverse, extended reality features like Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) are going to be huge in both work and play. This will require beefier graphics cards and more RAM to really power these experiences.”

While the full metaverse is still a way off, Jason says there are other ways to experience tomorrow’s tech today.

“Cloud computing is still very important, so 5G and Wi-Fi 6 connections are going to play a bigger role in how we use our computers soon, along with a blurring between devices as tablets, computers and smartphones work together.”

Here are the top computer features to look for when future-proofing tech for your home office and beyond.

“With 5G, you can play full online games while waiting for a train, or have an online meeting in the park without worrying about your connection being too slow.”

Better Connections With 5G

The best way to think about 5G is to consider the difference between dial-up and broadband. Dial-up was great at the time, but as computers and the internet became more powerful and detailed, we needed faster speeds, so we moved to broadband. 5G is just like 4G, only much faster, and it allows for more simultaneous connections. This means you can play full online games while waiting for a train, or have an online meeting in the park without worrying about your connection being too slow.

Shop 5G Devices

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8

Apple iPad Air

More Storage Capacity

While cloud computing is wonderful, there are times when you just need to switch off and get stuck into a task, or maybe you want to make sure you keep important things, like your photo library, where you can see them. Plus, games just run better when they’re installed locally (and they’re pretty big). So, you need a computer with at least 1TB of storage.

Shop Storage-Packed Devices

Apple MacBook Pro 16” with M1 Pro

Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio

Bigger Screens

Screens are getting bigger with higher resolutions, which means a huge boost for productivity on your home office computer by day, and entertainment machine by night. It’s not just limited to big-screen smart monitors, but also folding screens for smartphones, stretching what’s possible in the mobile space.

H3 Shop Devices With Screen Appeal

Samsung 43” Smart Monitor

Lenovo 31.5” Curved Monitor

Portability Plus

Many jobs are more flexible these days, and we use computers and tablets for more than just work. Tablets with detachable keyboards are great for kids and adults alike, because they allow you to write reports at work, then play games, create art and watch movies at home. 2-in-1 laptops take this one step further by having the computing power and portability of a laptop, with the simple ease of a tablet when you need something different.

And Jason Tavoletti agrees: “2-in-1s and tablets are really where the computing industry is going because people love that flexibility. This segment of the market is only going to get better and more powerful thanks to its popularity.”

That’s not to mention powerful laptops, like the new Apple range with M1 Pro and M1 Max chips that have the power of a studio desktop computer, with the portability of a laptop.

Shop Go-Anywhere Tech