Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1299286
34 PCB007 MAGAZINE I OCTOBER 2020 Feature by Dan Feinberg FINE-LINE ASSOCIATES Things have changed a lot in the last year, especially in the realm of technology. Just a year ago, 5G networks were on a smooth path to unquestioned rapid growth dominance. Today, while there has been much progress, and while there are some 5G capable devices available, it is far from universal. In some areas, such as near schools and residen- tial areas, people were putting up roadblocks to 5G towers. Overall, there has been much progress, but the pace seems slower than was expected just a year ago. Some limitations are being identified, and there is already talk of 6G becoming available well before the end of the decade. Extended reality (XR)—or one of the various extended reality segments, such as virtual real- ity (VR), augmented reality (AR), mixed real- ity (MR), etc.—was making progress at light speed. It still is progressing, but much of the hardware that was about to become available during 2020 has been delayed. Areas where XR has true value—such as military, medical, and tech service—are progressing rapidly and with the 2020 shutdown areas, including XR- enabled gaming partially by next-generation graphic processing units (GPUs), is quickly ac- celerating. It has been reported that XR digi- tal game spending reached over $10B in April 2020 and has continued to grow. We all know that video conferencing has taken off. Is there anyone who has not been on a Zoom or Microsoft Teams call in the last week? Many of us are on two or more a day. So far, the use of XR in teleconferencing is mini- The Acceleration or Deceleration of Change