technology
First screen, then exercise bike
Many will continue to work from home in 2021.
© Undrey / Shutterstock.com
Because of the corona pandemic, large parts of the lives of many people will likely continue to take place in and around their homes.
The coronavirus changed people's lives significantly in 2020. More and more people are working from home, friends and families are increasingly meeting digitally and even grandparents now know what Zoom, Facetime or Skype is. Due to the ongoing pandemic, corresponding offers and services for everything to do with the home will continue to advance in 2021.
The smart home
Smart home technology has been popular for some time – and nothing is likely to change in 2021. Last year, 37 percent of German consumers were already using intelligent devices, according to a survey commissioned by the industry association Bitkom. Often these were controlled by voice command – for example via the smartphone or a smart speaker, via digital voice assistants such as Apple's Siri, Amazon's Alexa or the Google Assistant. For many, the comfort (72 percent) that an automated home brings with it is particularly important. So a lot is likely to happen in this area in 2021 as well, precisely because many people will continue to spend significantly more time at home than before the corona pandemic.
A new world of work and school
In 2020, the government asked employers several times to allow employees to work from the home office. 65.8 percent of the companies questioned in a short survey by the Berlin Chamber of Commerce and Industry stated that they are increasingly relying on teleworking. And that shouldn't change anytime soon: 47.4 percent are planning a hybrid solution in the future, 23.5 percent continue to rely on more home offices. Only around a quarter of the companies (24.9 percent) want to return to the presence culture. Distance learning is also largely increasing in schools. Webcams, laptops, tablets and the like should therefore be very popular. Video conferencing and video chat services such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Google Meet will also be an indispensable part of everyday work and school life in the future.
Fitness in your own home
Bicycle ergometers, cross trainers, treadmills and other fitness equipment for at home have enjoyed great popularity in recent years thanks to increasing health awareness. In 2020 there was another big boost. To this day, many devices – especially those of the well-known manufacturers – have been sold out. Delivery times of several months are not uncommon. The devices themselves are becoming ever smarter, and some of them also offer streaming functions and app support. For example, a whole group of athletes can network with a coach from home.
And offers such as fitness apps or channels on YouTube have recently been extremely popular. So-called wearables, such as smartwatches and fitness trackers, which can be very practical for exercising in the fresh air, have been on the rise for years anyway. Fitness fans can look forward to seeing what innovations 2021 will have in store.
More entertainment at home
Fresh games, new series highlights on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, streaming platforms such as Twitch, Augmented and Virtual Reality: Instead of going to the cinema or a concert, in 2020 it was primarily the home cinema, the computer, the smartphone or the game console that provided for entertainment. According to AGF Video Research, streaming offers (primarily those from TV broadcasters) increased their net reach by around a third in 2020. Also in the new year – depending on the Corona situation – not much will change at first. In any case, users can look forward to numerous new hit series and games.
New cellular standard
Thanks to the introduction of more and more 5G-capable devices such as the iPhone 12 or the Samsung Galaxy S20 5G as well as the advancing network expansion, more and more smartphone users can fall back on the new cellular standard. As early as the end of 2018, Deutsche Telekom had announced that it would provide "99 percent of the population and 90 percent of the area with 5G" by 2025. This goal should then be approached in 2021. Every year they want to build 2,000 new cell phone locations.