{"id":234933,"date":"2026-01-08T21:52:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T21:52:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/234933\/"},"modified":"2026-01-08T21:52:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T21:52:12","slug":"tech-trends-to-watch-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/234933\/","title":{"rendered":"Tech Trends to Watch in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p dir=\"ltr\">As we head into 2026, major shifts in technology are set to affect everyday life, including new phone formats, how we use artificial intelligence and even how we identify ourselves online.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">On\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newstalk.com\/podcasts\/the-anton-savage-show\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The Anton Savage Show<\/a>, guest host Sean Defoe spoke with Adrian Weckler, tech editor of the\u00a0Irish Independent\u00a0and host of the\u00a0Big Tech Show\u00a0podcast, about what listeners can expect in the year ahead.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">One of the biggest developments could be the arrival of a folding iPhone.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-2140374\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/iphone-13-6655519_1280.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"665\" height=\"443\"\/><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u201cAnybody who\u2019s been looking at the development of smartphones, will have seen Samsung with several folding phones,\u201d Weckler said.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u201cIt looks very likely that Apple will do it this year.\u201d He warned that high prices could limit appeal: a folding iPhone could cost \u201ca minimum of \u20ac2,500, maybe even \u20ac3,000.\u201d<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Artificial intelligence will continue to embed itself in daily life, Weckler predicts, even as some parts of the AI \u201cbubble\u201d falter.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u201cOracle has lost almost half of its value Nvidia has lost 20% of its value,\u201d he noted, while some AI firms with massive valuations are earning only modest revenue. Still, he believes AI won\u2019t disappear:<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u201cBy the end of 2026 people will be using ChatGPT every day looking stuff up about their health, how to open their car\u2019s bonnet or replace the oil.\u201d<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Looking at hardware makers, Weckler said Intel could be a standout performer after years in the doldrums.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u201cTheir stock price is up 80 percent and they\u2019re signing a lot more customers,\u201d he said, pointing to new factory tours and a growing foundry business.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Big changes may also be coming in how we prove who we are online. Weckler outlined the EU\u2019s digital identity wallet, a state\u2011backed system designed to hold passports, driver\u2019s licences and health data.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u201cThe idea is now to try and make it a requirement to use social media,\u201d he explained, describing a push to \u201cban anonymity online,\u201d something that might sound dystopian but is gaining traction.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">That ties into another trend for 2026:<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">The war on dodgy TV boxes.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-1704714\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/erik-mclean-U-Vu_r6qyyU-unsplash-scaled-e1678443486768.jpg\" alt=\"dodgy box\" width=\"647\" height=\"364\"\/><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Weckler said broadcasters like Sky are pushing to follow Italy\u2019s approach, where individuals using illegal streaming devices receive fines.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u201cThey get the equivalent of a penalty points notice and they have to pay\u00a0 \u20ac100, \u20ac200, so I think that\u2019s where we\u2019re going,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Weckler conceded that not all predictions will come to pass, but said the overarching theme for next year is integration:<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Tech moving from novelty to everyday utility, and policy trying to keep pace.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">\u201cPeople are all trying to get to the same place, a bit more harmony, a bit more civil discourse online,\u201d he said, noting that scepticism about government and big tech can sometimes hold back progress.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As we head into 2026, major shifts in technology are set to affect everyday life, including new phone&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":234934,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[220,218,219,61,60,80],"class_list":["post-234933","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-artificial-intelligence","tag-ai","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-artificialintelligence","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234933","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=234933"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234933\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/234934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=234933"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=234933"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=234933"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}