The Future of Tech: What consumers want by 2035

The debate over the future of technology raises profound questions about society, culture, and even what it means to be human. While science fiction has long reflected our hopes and anxieties about technological change, many once-fictional innovations are now becoming reality.

As we approach the quarter mark of the 21st century, we at Focaldata have been reflecting on how past visions of the future compare to today’s reality. At the same time, we’re looking ahead – exploring what consumers might want from technology by 2035. This curiosity led to the creation of this research project.

With AI potentially ushering in a new technological epoch, technology in the coming years could bring about immense changes to the way many of us live. To thrive in this new era, brands must understand not just consumer expectations, but their vision for the future of tech.

Futuristic technologies like Apple’s Vision Pro goggles are already being piloted. By analysing consumer reactions to advertising campaigns, brands can gain valuable insights into marketing new technologies - and new products in general - in the years ahead.

Our research uses a mixed-methods approach (800 quant, 100 qual) to explore what consumers want from wearable and portable tech by 2035. We cover attitudes to recent tech developments, brand favourability, future product demand, and an ad test for the Apple Vision Pro. The piece offers key lessons for brands on market demand and marketing new products in this space.

Lets get into it.

What does the public think about wearable tech? In short, they’re all for it.

• 1 in 6 say portable or wearable tech is the most positive recent innovation in their lives. (12% selected mobile technology / smartphones, 2% chose wearable health tech, and 2% opted for digital cameras).

• While the internet ranks as the most impactful (29%), wearable tech comes with far less negative baggage. Half of people believe internet-related technologies have had the most negative impact on the world in the last 50 years (the Dark Web and social media were cited by 23% each, and the internet itself by 4%). In contrast, only 2% said the same for smartphones.

• Portable tech is a big opportunity–consumers are on board, and demand is growing.

• Top use cases? Staying connected with friends and family and health & fitness tracking – users love real-time insights from smartwatches: "I can see how my general health is trending, and take action if I seem to be losing condition."

Battle of the brands: Who’s winning, who’s not

• Wearable tech brands are generally well-liked, but Apple dominates in awareness and popularity. To stand out over the next decade, competitors will need a clear differentiator–likely on price.

• Using a fictional wearable tech brand, ‘Wearnova’, to benchmark our survey results, we estimate that 36% of the public has a ‘very favourable’ view of Apple, with another 29% ‘somewhat favourable’.

• Apple racks up a very impressive estimated 93% awareness score among the public (i.e. those who know enough of the brand to give an opinion of it).

More than just steps: What consumers want from health trackers

• Looking ahead, we tested new wearable products to gauge public interest. Most saw at least half of consumers very or somewhat interested.

• A ‘smart watch or strap’ that tracks glucose, blood pressure, and stress had the highest appeal, with 75% of consumers interested in buying one in the next 10 years.

• Smart earbuds that track heart rate, act as a hearing aid, protect ears from damage, or offer translation services come in second, with 66% interest.

• Augmented reality glasses (like the Apple Vision Pro), smart clothing that monitors heart rate, breathing, and posture, and smart rings for payments and phone calls all garnered around 50% interest. Each showed a steep age gradient, with younger consumers particularly drawn to them, while the smart health watch saw over two-thirds of every age group expressing interest.

• Implant technologies – e.g. ‘a small microchip inserted under the skin, which could be used instead of a contactless bank card, or as a form of ID’ – saw fairly low levels of interest, with 63% ‘not very’ or ‘not at all’ interested.

• Generally speaking, the less invasive the technology, the more likely it was to generate public interest. Companies developing Black Mirror or Severance style physical implants may struggle to garner widespread appeal for the foreseeable future!

Consumer expectations for future technology