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Is tech stagnation a thing now?

One thing about technology is that it is always improving.

CPUs get more powerful, GPUs get faster, memory gets bigger, drives get cheaper, smartphones get better cameras and gadgets get more features.

Well that has been the case for a very long time but are things changing?

Are we now entering the era of tech stagnation?

As I wrote previously, both Intel's and AMD's new generation of CPUs have underwhelmed the market with their "ho-hum" performance improvements.

When the biggest feature of Intel's new architecture is that it's not going to fail within a year or two due to basic flaws in design you really have to wonder what's going on.

Likewise, when you can already buy a GPU that produces frame-rates measured in three digits with most of the latest games, is a 15 percent uplift for a new generation really worth the cost?

Based on sales figures, it appears that consumers are voting with their wallets and the consensus is that it's no longer worth upgrading to each and every new generation of tech as it is rolled out.

For my own part, I'm still using what is now a pretty old computer for the most demanding task I undertake, video editing.

An Intel i7 8700 and an RTX 3060 are hardly "cutting edge" any more but, aside from when I'm doing really complex AI-related stuff, it gets the job done well enough.

Although I've contemplated uprading on a number of occasions, once I do the sums it just doesn't make sense at the moment. A better GPU would cost well over $1,000 as well as a few hundred for a beefier power-supply and switching to a newer processor would also require a new motherboard and RAM. I'd be lucky to get change from $2,500 once done and the performance improvements gained would take a long time to pay for themselves.

In reality, I'm far more likely to upgrade one of my monitors from HD to QHD or 4K, when finances allow.

Outside of the PC world, the pace of technological advances also appears to be slowing.

There's not a lot new in the world of drones, just incremental improvements in existing bits of tech.

Pehaps the only exception to this is the new DJI Neo drone. It is very lightweight and features high levels of autonomy. This is perhaps the first drone that can be used without the need for a remote controller or even a smartphone. It uses AI to provide clever modes such as "follow" and "dronie" whereby it recognises the subject of the intended video and flies an automated path whilst recording -- ultimately returning to the palm of your hand at the end.

Unfortunately for Kiwis, our outdated drone regulations actually make it illegal to use in many places and cases where it would be fun and 100 percent safe.

I'm constantly on the hunt for cool new bits of tech on sites such as AliExpress and it used to be a piece of cake to find interesting bits of kit that I hadn't seen before. Today, not so much.

If I've missed some super-cool bit of new-tech that is already on the shelves then please let me know, I'd love to know.

In the meantime I'll keep looking and if/when I find stuff, I'll report the fact here.

Carpe Diem folks!

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