Not only did the US impose restrictions on
China’s investments in high-technology sectors,
but it has refused visas to Chinese scholars
studying in hi-tech areas and even banned the
use of Huawei technology, something that
has followed in other markets as the rollout
of 5G begins. There’s also the issue of rising
manufacturers such as Xiaomi and Huawei,
with the latter being temporarily banned from
using Google’s Android operating system.
Last month, Huawei was granted a license
extension to allow it to continue to work with
US firms as part of trade discussions between
the two countries, but it seems as though
Chinese smartphone manufacturers are now
working on their own operating systems to
compete with Google.
It’s impossible to know what will happen next,
and with no guarantee that Donald Trump will
still be in the White House by the end of 2020,
we could see seismic shifts in the relationship
between the US and China that could change
the way we use our tech in the years ahead.
MAJOR TECHNOLOGICAL
INNOVATIONS
Though it’s the big players - Google, Apple,
Facebook - that attracted the most headlines
in 2019, there have also been some major
technological innovations worth mentioning.
First up, foldable technology, and the Samsung
Galaxy Fold. Though the launch didn’t exactly go
to plan, with the firm putting the release of its
dual-screen phone on hold after “creasegate”,
Samsung has now released the Galaxy Fold
into the wild, and reviews have been positive.
Granted, the Fold didn’t become an overnight
Image: Fred Dufour