IBM’s tech predictions

What technology trends are we going to see in the next five years? A good place to look is tech innovator IBM. Forbes columnist Greg Satell recently looked at what’s coming up, highlighting IBM’s predictions for the next five years of technology change. Here’s a brief look at what Satell found.

Classrooms get savvier

Satell writes that technology can help U.S. school children catch up to their peers across the globe. Technology isn’t a cure-all, obviously. But Satell writes that it can help educators better teach a greater number of children. The problem currently? Some U.S. students receive a top education. A lot of others don’t. Technology will help change this.

Retailers get smarter

Online shopping is blossoming. But IBM predicts even more impressive retail technology over the next five years. According to Satell’s column, the tech giant says that retailers will make use of tech to send information directly to your smartphone regarding the products you want. If you need a new pair of boots, your favorite retailer can tell your smartphone exactly what products in your shoe size are in stock. You can then send a message to the sales staff detailing what boots you would like to have a look at.

Medicine gets a tech upgrade

What’s the biggest problem with medicine today? Satell writes that medications impact different people in different ways. What’s perfectly safe and effective for one patient may cause dangerous side effects in another. IBM, though, predicts that within five years, doctors are going to be able to sequence the DNA of individual patients. They can then access a cloud-based center of research and clinical studies to ascertain the best suited medication for each patient.