00:00It's time for my big 2026 tech predictions. If I wanted to, I could just sit here and gloat about
00:05nailing my predictions for 2025. The humanoid robot army, the rise of folding phones,
00:10the AI hardware collapse. Oh, that was painful. But gloating won't help you prepare for the future.
00:16So let's turn our eyes to 2026. What is the tech world bringing to the table? I've crunched the
00:21numbers, looked at the trends and consulted the industry. Here is what you need to know.
00:26First up, the AI of everything. Forget about an AI bubble bursting. In 2026,
00:31we're just getting bigger models and integrated advertising. Yay. The headline here is OpenAI
00:37delivering GPT-6. We're talking a massive leap in computational power and reasoning. But if you're
00:44waiting for AGI, which is artificial general intelligence that thinks like us, don't hold
00:48your breath. 2026 isn't the year. We have a lot of work to do on processing speed and software.
00:54The hurdle happens to be something called polymathic intelligence. Oh, that hurts.
00:58We need systems that understand music, physics, biology, and architecture all at once and that can
01:04think across all of those disciplines. Good luck finding that. We probably won't see it until 2028
01:10at the earliest. In the meantime, it's a two horse race. OpenAI versus Google. Google is going to shove
01:17Gemini into everything. That line between search results and AI overview, goodbye. It's going to vanish.
01:24Meanwhile, ChatGPT is practically becoming a search engine itself. These two will dominate and
01:30consolidation for everyone else. That's pretty much inevitable. Don't expect Uncle Sam to step in
01:35with regulations. They won't catch up to AI time because everything's going that fast in 2026 and
01:41beyond. Let's talk about hardware. It's going to be a rough year for PC builders. The RAM crisis in 2025,
01:48it is intensifying in 2026. If you're a gamer, you're the loser here. And don't look to NVIDIA for
01:54comfort. They're focused on global AI expansion, not consumer graphics cards. However, there is a
02:00bright spot. The ARM desktop revolution. Qualcomm's Snapdragon X series is finally matching Apple in
02:07performance and battery life. While Intel and AMD still rule the roost, expect Qualcomm to grab a
02:13measurable slice of the Windows market next year. Speaking of Apple, because how could we not talk
02:18about Apple? Get ready for eyeglasses. Tim Cook has been talking about augmented reality forever. By late
02:252026, we might finally see Apple's AR glasses. I simply can't wait. Now think polished, light, and
02:31hopefully somewhat affordable. Also expect the iFold, finally. Apple is likely dropping a folding iPhone or
02:39iPad to compete with Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and outrun the new Samsung Galaxy Z Trifold. And
02:46speaking of Tim Cook, he's not going anywhere. He's staying in that CEO chair right through 2026 to see
02:52the AR glasses through to the finish line. And finally, robots. I can't miss robots. The humanoid
02:57robot race, it is on. Companies like One X will deliver the Neo Beta in the early part of the year for
03:03a cool $20,000. But here's the reality check. These robots are going to be very slow. If you're okay with
03:09the robot taking 45 minutes to empty the dishwasher, you're set. As for the rest of us, home ready robots
03:15are still years away. Other than robot vacuums. Before I go, a lightning round of 2026 predictions.
03:22Number one, the next Windows will be called Windows Co-Pilot. Number two, Gen Z and Gen Alpha will likely
03:29start rejecting social media in favor of in-person activities. Number three, Sam Altman and Johnny Ive
03:35will release AI hardware that gets huge buzz and terrible sales. And four, 8K TVs? Yeah,
03:42they're still not taking off. My brain is stuffed with the possibilities, but those are the headlines.
03:482026 is coming fast and I can't wait. Stick with TechRadar.com
03:53for more predictions about the big year in tech to come.
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