On a weekly basis we’ll highlight 4 articles that caught our attention while doing our research. We’ll show you key events or trends in the digital world that you shouldn’t have missed this week. All articles were gathered and processed in our Trendbase tool.
When will we have flying cars? Maybe sooner than you think.
In the coming few years nearly 20 small airborne vehicles are supposedly hitting the market (see table below). Some are drone-like, with anywhere from four to 18 rotors keeping them aloft. Most are fixed-wing craft with propellers that point upwards for vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL), and tilt forward for flight.
Some are also more realistic than others. While both Airbus and Boeing have projects under way, a raft of smaller companies are pushing aggressive time lines as well. Germany’s Volocopter plans to start trials this year of a flying taxi in Singapore. Uber has claimed it will start test runs next year for a service between Frisco, Texas, and the Dallas–Fort Worth airport,and that it plans to start commercial flights in 2023; it has five flying-car makers as partners.
Read more about the upcoming flying cars here
Silicon Valley has a fresh take on a new movement that could be the future of medicine
It’s a type of doctor’s office that’s similar to direct primary care, a small but fast-growing movement of pediatricians, family-medicine physicians, and internists. This group doesn’t accept insurance, and instead charges a monthly membership fee that covers most of what the average patient needs, including visits and prescription drugs at much lower prices.
Direct primary care practices are growing at a time when high-deductible health plans are on the rise – a survey in September found that 51% of workers had a plan that required them to pay up to $1,000 out of pocket for healthcare until insurance picks up most of the rest. For more on direct primary care, here’s a snapshot of how it differs from a traditional doctor’s visit. Instead, he said Forward is to healthcare what the iPhone is to communications.
While the Blackberry phone initially gained traction because companies supplied it for their employees, consumers ended up opting to get their own smartphones that were easier to use. In his mind, the existing employer-backed healthcare system is the Blackberry, and Forward’s model is the smartphone.
Amazon’s NYC educational investments will continue despite cancellation of New York HQ2
Amazon’s plans to invest in New York-area engineering training programs and other local educational initiatives are not being canceled, despite Amazon’s announcement today that it will no longer open one of its HQ2 locations in New York City. The retailer decided to end its plans for the New York headquarters after significant backlash from local politicians and citizens alike who, as Amazon put it, “have made it clear that they oppose our presence.”
The deal Amazon had brokered with New York politicians had included up to $1.5 billion in grants and tax breaks in the state, in exchange for bringing 25,000 new jobs to the NYC area.
But Amazon jobs weren’t all the company was investing in — the company had also recently said it would fund educational programs and training at New York-area high schools and colleges.
Lego launches 8 AR focused sets
LEGO’s long been a leader among traditional toy companies when it comes to embracing tech trends, from mobile apps to robotics. The toy maker’s been talking up its plans to embrace augmented reality since a couple of WWDCs ago, and now it’s finally ready to go all-in with the launch of eight AR-focused sets.
All are part of Hidden Side, a new series of sets designed to skirt the line between the physical and virtual. All are haunted buildings that tell a larger story about a couple of kids tasked with using a ghost-hunting app to uncover mysterious goings-on in their hometown.
The sets range from $20 to $130 and offer experiences that adapt as the story continues to roll out. The addition of a digital component gives the company a bit of leeway here when it comes to building out things over time. Those who don’t buy a set can also use the app to play a standalone game from the point of view of the ghosts — though obviously the whole thing is more heightened if you own the physical LEGO.
Read more about the AR Lego story here
About Trendbase
All trends were gathered and processed in Trendbase. Trendbase is a tool that helps you to gather and categorize industry trends, identify those trends and add context to them and to share that knowledge within your organization to inspire and educate people.
About Duval Union Consulting
We are new-style management consultants focusing on transforming and growing organizations in a digital-first world with offices in Europe and the Middle East. New-style? Co-created business strategy, custom-made transformation trajectories and actual experienced business advisors are only some of our differentiators and why clients love to work with us. We design the future of your business together.
Geert helps companies deliver superior customer experiences through 18 years of management consulting expertise. With his deep focus in automotive and similar sectors, he sees the impact and pressure on the industry. He uses these insights to help transforming organisations in an ever changing digital environment.
