Consumers and physicians disagree on the value of health wearables: If wearable makers are able to foster physician trust in the data generated by their devices, they could gain an edge in uptake from consumers eager to share their health data.

Regulation will disrupt some digital players, while retail media and genAI adoption will create opportunities across advertising and commerce.

The Vipps wallet in Norway is the first to use Apple’s NFC tech, opening the floodgates for more to deploy the tech.

Consumer payment method choice will expand in 2025 as real-time “pay by bank,” iPhone NFC access, and digital credentials take center stage. And financial media networks will turn more payment providers into marketers.

AI will become deeply woven into daily life in 2025. Autonomous agents, smart devices, AR glasses, search engines, and digital twins are making AI an ambient presence in how we work, shop, browse, and interact with the world.

After the Ai Pin flop, Humane shifts gears, marketing its AI-powered assistant CosmOS for devices like cars and smart homes, but competition is fierce.

There will be 180.9 million connected car drivers in the US by 2028, reaching over 70% of licensed drivers, according to a September 2024 EMARKETER forecast.

Gen Zers are driving growth in both emerging and traditional payment methods as they embrace cards, BNPL, and digital wallets. Payment providers must now align their offerings with Gen Z’s preferences as the cohort’s spending power grows.

But the payment method’s volume grew slower than overall retail sales, suggesting providers need to do more to amp up growth

With Gelsinger out, Intel faces strategic crossroads—divest, restructure, or merge—all while navigating a leadership vacuum that could stall its AI pivot and attract opportunistic bids.

The buy button has been on a growth tear since Shopify opened it up to enterprise customers outside of its ecosystem

Amazon, Target, and malls were among this year’s Cyber Five winners: Roughly 197 million people shopped this year’s sales, leading to a surge in online and in-store spending.

Walmart’s advertising business gets a boost: The retailer closed its Vizio acquisition, giving it inroads into the lucrative CTV market.

SpaceX and T-Mobile’s direct-to-cell service promises to eliminate vast dead zones, but the cost to consumers could hinder widespread adoption.

xAI’s plan for a standalone app may expand user access, but controversial outputs and app store policies could undermine its adoption and growth.

Despite Google Wallet and Apple Wallet’s investments in travel and ID features, adoption has been tepid

Banning Google’s search payments will threaten browser stability, push Apple to adapt, and create openings for competitors like Bing and DuckDuckGo.

Big Tech will likely challenge the rule in court. Trump’s second term could also make the rule short-lived

With revenues soaring 94% to $35.1 billion, it dominates AI hardware, but Big Tech’s in-house chip ambitions could challenge its position.

By processing AI locally, Adobe’s SlimLM reduces cloud computing costs and privacy concerns.