Technology: A Timeless Ode to Tom and Jerry

Do you remember that episode in Friends in which Chandler buys a new laptop with 12 megabytes of RAM, 500 MB hard drive, built-in spreadsheet capabilities and a modem that transmits at over 28,000 bps? Believe it or not, although that bad boy was capable of running Doom, a First Person Shooter game (think PUBG but with Minecraft graphics), it could not do justice to a slew of software programmes or operating systems written during the time. 

Hardware has come a long way since then and today we have chips like the NVIDIA RTX 6000 that can, at the very bare minimum, operate at a 100-150% higher efficiency as compared to top-of-the-line, mass market GPUs. While these may be utilised to their “potential” when it comes to 3D modelling & rendering, AI training & data visualisation & simulation, we have not truly scratched the surface when it comes to other areas such as gaming & content. 

For instance, this card can do a great job at running games & movies at 8K with a seamless frame rate, however, there are only a handful of games that are coded to run at 8K and Netflix streams 4K content at best. Never mind how expensive it is to build a setup that has the firepower to handle this content.

Historically, hardware & software have been playing a game of cat & mouse with the blessing that is innovation that occasionally bring the two together. Until that happens, adoption is a privilege. 

Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality are no exceptions to this rule. Once hailed as the “next big thing”, these technologies rode a wave of hype in the mid-to-late 2010s, only to seemingly fade from the limelight. The crux of the issue lay not in the technology itself, but in the content – or lack thereof. Early AR and VR experiences, while novel, often felt gimmicky or limited in scope. The hardware was impressive, but there wasn't enough compelling content to justify the investment for the average consumer. It was a classic case of technology outpacing its practical applications.

However, something that stood out in the past decade within this space was Pokémon Go. 

Google search interest over time (Source: Google Trends)

Arguably this was driven by ease of adoption since people could use their phones & no hardware investment was required. The metaverse, however, while managing to get people excited about being able to e-meet other people, suffered when it came to hardware adoption. 

Most argue that price is the largest barrier, however, we cannot look at this in isolation. For instance, on the lower end of the spectrum, VR headsets cost as low as AED 200. That’s arguably less expensive than date night, booking a Padel court or even concert tickets to Coldplay. So why have VR headsets not made their way into the hardware ecosystem for most people? My best guess is, yet again, content – or the lack thereof. The probability of adoption will skyrocket if there’s a Pokémon Go-level phenomenon awaiting people on the other side of that technology.

Whether or not there is a resurgence of AR & VR is arguable but what is undeniable is that both hardware & software have advanced since the 2010’s. With companies like Sony PlayStation & Apple who are innovating across hardware as well as software, it does feel like virtual & augmented reality will reach a place of innovation convergence and Tom will have finally caught up to Jerry.