The revolution will not go on without you: How smart technology innovations are making sure no one is left behind

If history has taught us anything, it’s that even the best ideas and innovations are fairly useless until they gain traction among the masses. The Internet itself was a rather unremarkable invention until the Web 2.0 revolution swept the globe, encouraging the creation of user-generated content and giving voices to billions around the world. Likewise, when smartphones first debuted years ago, few could have imagined the ubiquity they would soon come to occupy. If technology is the great equalizer, then smartphones are really leveling the playing field, connecting people to the world around them in real time. The speed with which smartphone saturation penetrated the globe has been dizzying: in the Asia-Pacific region alone, there are more than one billion smartphone users to-date. In Lebanon, Internet penetration has reached a whopping 70.5 percent, and smartphone penetration sits at around 70 percent, with these figures expected to increase even further in the coming years. So how does a technology like the smartphone – whose costs, upon first glance, would seem to be prohibitively high – gain so much popularity, so quickly? More than simply relying on free market forces, consumer technology companies have worked hard to get smartphones into the hands of consumers. LG Electronics, for example, has excelled by releasing mid-tier smartphone handsets alongside its more high-end, flagship devices, relying on rich consumer insights to drive innovation. While the company’s competitive strategy leverages the strength and supremacy of its premium and flagship devices, LG’s diverse smartphone lineup aims to reach a wider consumer base, with exceptional results. This strategy may seem like common sense – make more, sell more, earn more – but when you look at the big picture, it’s a strategy that is setting the course for the future of technology and how we, as consumers, use it. The truth is that smartphones are just the beginning: smart technology is quickly invading every aspect of daily life, from cars to homes, to apparel and beyond. Last month’s annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas underscored this trend, as innovators showcased the latest in smart technology. From smart appliances to advanced wearables, these intuitive technologies are quickly shifting from the realm of science fiction fodder to everyday reality – and at the center of all these innovations is the smartphone, the veritable remote control for smart living. More than just connecting people to people, smartphones are connecting people to everything, including the inanimate. See, without high smartphone penetration, smart technologies like these would be possible, but they certainly wouldn’t be popular. By making smartphones more accessible to the average, everyday consumer, technology and electronics companies are ensuring the success of smart technology in general. And as new, progressive technologies make the world even more mobile-centric, smartphones continue to adapt and evolve. Later this month, the world’s leading mobile innovators will converge on Barcelona for the Mobile World Congress (MWC), where the next-generation smart devices will make their debut. Consumer electronics giant LG is already at the forefront of the buzz for the event, with rumors swirling that the company is expected to launch at least one game-changing new smartphone during the four-day conference. Following the company’s diversified showing at CES – where it highlighted everything from its smart appliances and smart control system to its rollable screen prototype – LG’s anticipated announcement at MWC is simply the icing on the cake for the smart tech revolution. The future of technology is upon us – and it’s leaving no consumers behind.