Snapshot of Technology in 2025: Diary of the Tech Revolution

Park Associates recently released an Internet of Things (IoT) industry report suggesting that by 2025, 66% of US households would be smart homes. This got us at Dubber thinking about the future, and wondering what 2025 would look like, and just for fun, we thought we’d write a snapshot of what life might be like in 2025.

Chart from Statista

I am woken by the shrill, high notes of my alarm as they penetrate into my ear and leave no opportunity for delaying or ignoring their wake up call. I miss the time when alarms were by my bed or on my phone, and could be snoozed until I decided I wanted to get up. Since they have been integrated into our pillows they’ve become pretty hard to ignore, and unless I lift my head off the pillow it won’t stop. On the plus side, I’m never late anymore.

I drag myself from my nice, heated bed and head to the bathroom. I decide I’m still feeling pretty drowsy, so I tell the screen in the bathroom to get the coffee machine to make my morning espresso ready for when I get out and to set my shower temperature to a little hotter than usual. I select my shower music and step into the cubicle, the water automatically starting once I close the door.

One very hot shower, massage (from my new shower installation) and an espresso later, I leave my bedroom and head into the kitchen, the lights following me as I move from room to room. After my bespoke liquid breakfast, I set the hoover, mop and lawnmowers to do the rounds once I leave, and pick up my coat and bag. The screen on my fridge tells me that it’s raining outside, so I grab my umbrella too. As I’m about to leave, I get a notification on my phone alerting me that the fridge door is open, so I return to the kitchen and force it shut before leaving the house.

As I get into my car I get a notification on my phone informing me that, because the sensors detect nobody is home, the heating and lights will all be switched off. I approve the notification and ask the car to play Justin Bieber. I’m in a Throwback Thursday mood today.

As my car drives me to work my phone plays the daily headlines and weather reports through the car’s speakers and talks me through my schedule for the day. I rearrange a meeting and dictate a couple of emails and decide to pick up breakfast from my favourite cafe on my way. The cafe is pretty busy but their Amazon Go system picks my face and details up as soon as I walk through the door, and a notification on my phone asks whether I would like to change or keep my last order. I choose to keep it, pay with my phone and wait for only a minute for my order to be ready.

Annoyingly my retina scan entry isn’t working today, so I have to go to security and get an ordinary touch ID entry to let me into the office. I can’t help thinking that sometimes all this technology slows me down, but then I look at my breakfast and think how I don’t have any cleaning waiting for me at home and instantly dismiss the thought. I heard someone say the other day that the world has changed more in the last 20 years than in the previous 250 years, and I can’t help but think that must be true. Life before the tech revolution seems like another lifetime altogether. I can barely even remember what it’s like to drive, clean or place an order with a waitress. I wonder how I ever got by before my phone became my personal assistant and virtual soul-mate. I try to remember the last time I wrote anything. It was probably my mum’s birthday card 5 years ago.

An alert from my Google Contact Lens reminding me that my first meeting of the day is in 5 minutes stops my thoughts in their tracks, and I hurry to my desk. My iScreen greets me, and within seconds my phone is connected to the workspace and I am ready for the video conference.

After a busy morning of 3 meetings, I read through the email transcripts of the calls and save all notifications of the important actions I must prioritise into my calendar. An alert reminds me that my appointment with my GP is during my lunch break, so I head to the canteen to grab some lunch and am seated once more at my desk just in time to chat to the doctor. He examines my vitals through the sensors on my phone, asks me questions and informs me that he will be prescribing me some Immune Boost, which will be delivered by drone to my office within the hour.

By the end of the day the Immune Boost has done its job and I feel much more lively, so I decide to walk to my car rather than taking the shuttle to the car park. From the car I check the inside of my fridge to see if I need any chicken for the casserole tonight and order my oven to preheat to 180℃. I can’t wait to get home and spend the night in front of my TV. I wonder what recommendations it will have for me tonight – they’re always so perfectly catered to my likes, current events and even to how my day has been. I have no idea how it works but I love it.

I arrive home at 6pm to find the front lights on and waiting for me, knowing that this is the time I usually get back. My house opens the garage door, deactivates the security system and turns on the lights on sensing my car in the driveway, and I park up and head inside. After dinner, I settle down on the sofa to read through the TV’s recommendations and select a feel-good film – perfect for when you’ve been feeling unwell. I’m guessing that recommendation was based on my Immune Boost prescription earlier in the day, although I must admit the technical side of life today does completely escape my understanding.

After the film, which was as always perfectly recommended, I head to bed and put on my Thync head pad to help me relax, enjoying the gentle stimulating pulses and knowing my alarm will be set as soon as my head is detected on the pillow. I make sure everything in the house is turned off from my phone, select a dream from my UtopiApp and settle down for a good night’s sleep, looking forward to a night of sunbathing in the Maldives in my dreams.