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Digital transformation is a conversation that is and was taking place before COVID-19. Businesses wanted to know how to become more competitive, reactive, and efficient, and how services for users can be improved. McKinsey’s global survey of 889 executives reported that COVID-19 certainly accelerated digital transformation by several years in some sectors. Many of these changes are expected to remain in place long-term.

Here, we take a look at the top COVID-19 tech trends and how they will remain part of our lives in the future, post-pandemic.

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There is a mountain of hype around positive thinking. But have you noticed that positive thinking doesn’t, well, work? That’s because positivity is just an emotion, and at the end of the day it doesn’t change the reality of the situations we face. 

The Simple Shift turns positive thinking on its head and transforms it into something practical -- a way of adopting beliefs that can change the way you see reality and make major obstacles into easily resolvable issues.

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Since the idea of Zero Trust was first proposed back in 2010 it's sparked interest from organizations of all sizes.

But why is Zero Trust seen as a game changer when it comes to protecting organizations and data? We spoke to Jason Clark, chief security and strategy officer at Netskope to find out.

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) has quickly emerged as a game-changing technology, often helping researchers uncover insights much faster than they otherwise could.

Here are five impressive ways that researchers have already capitalized on AI this year.

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There is lots of good news lately for SpaceX, especially NASA choosing the Hawthorne, CA-based company to build a $2.89 billion lunar lander for NASA’s Artemis Moon landing slated for 2024. Key to that single-source contract, which eliminates two competitors including Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, was SpaceX’s willingness to restructure payments to fit the $750 million appropriated by Congress this fiscal year for the project.

Already the lowest Artemis bidder, Elon Musk’s company was willing to make the deal work for the customer, which is unusual thinking for space contractors, with many asking, Where did SpaceX get the money?

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Across its Mac, iPhone and iPad range, Apple's App Store is users' first port of call for downloading new app; on Android, the Play Store is Google's equivalent. But when it comes to Windows 10 large numbers of people eschew the Microsoft Store app in favor of simply downloading apps from developers' websites.

But Microsoft would like this to change, and the company is planning a major revamp of its own store app, according to reports. As well as a visual refresh, the Microsoft Store is set to become friendlier for developers, thanks to relaxed policies -- including permitting the submission of raw, unpackaged .exe and .msi apps.

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Microsoft has been rumored to be working on an Azure-powered Cloud PC service for a while now, but it seems that we might be seeing the results of its labor as soon as June or early July this year.

The Cloud PC service, codenamed Project Deschutes, will let users access a Windows desktop remotely and run software such as Microsoft Office. This could be useful if you want to access the same desktop from multiple locations, and it would also allow Windows 10X users to run Win32 apps.

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Apple has certainly been busy lately. At today’s 'Spring Forward' event the tech giant took the wraps off an updated Apple TV 4K, a super-thin iMac, Podcast Subscriptions, AirTag, its Tile-like item tracker, and a new purple finish for iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini.

For many people though, these hardware events are mostly about the iPad, and Apple certainly didn’t disappoint here, revealing a new iPad Pro.

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At its 'Spring Forward' event, Apple today took the wraps off an all-new, super-thin iMac powered by the company’s M1 chip.

The design is just 11.5 millimeters thick, and available in a choice of seven vibrant colors -- green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue, and silver.

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Apple TV 4K is the best media streaming box on the market, thanks to its powerful processor, large selection of apps, and tight integration with Apple's ecosystem. It hasn't been updated in years, however, so people have long been expecting a refresh.

Well, today is the day, folks -- sort of. The "refresh" of the device itself is a bit ho-hum, simply getting a faster A12 Bionic processor. While Apple TV 4K will now support higher framerates, the body and overall design remain the same. What does get a big change, however, is the much-despised Siri Remote.

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There are millions of fantastic free podcasts available to listen to on Apple Podcasts, but now Apple is introducing paid premium subscriptions.

What you get for your money will vary, but will likely include ad-free listening, access to bonus content, and early or exclusive access to new series.

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If you’re the sort of person who is always losing important things, and you’re an iPhone user, then the company's new AirTag device finder is aimed at you.

It’s been a while coming, but AirTag has finally been officially announced at the company's 'Spring Loaded' event and works with Apple’s Find My app to help you keep track of -- and find -- your most important items, such as keys, bags and backpacks.

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If you’ve been thinking of getting a new iPhone 12, but none of the available color choices have grabbed you so far, well at its new 'Spring Loaded' devices event, Apple has just announced a stunning new finish -- purple.

Available for 12 and iPhone 12 mini, the new color accentuates the flat aluminium edges of the phone perfectly.

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Predictive maintenance, or PdM, is a rising star for process plants. It’s a new approach to maintenance planning that uses industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), big data, and machine learning to track the condition of plant equipment and detect the first signs of impending part failure.

Predictive maintenance is a specific application of predictive analytics for plant equipment. By issuing early alerts about potential failures, PdM enables maintenance crews to schedule repairs before the part breaks down entirely, at a time that’s convenient for them. PdM really showed its worth during COVID-19, as many plants operated on a skeleton staff with maintenance teams only coming on-site at intervals.

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If you don't yet have a Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) wireless router, you are making a big mistake. Even if you don't currently have any Wi-Fi 6 devices, you can score such a router for less than $79.99. Seriously, folks, it's time to upgrade your aging wireless networking gear already. If you have a large home, however, you will want to consider a more powerful mesh system. And yes, there are mesh Wi-Fi 6 solutions available.

Looking to upgrade to both 802.11ax and mesh? Good news -- TP-Link has a new "whole home" Wi-Fi 6 system that is rather affordable. The "Deco X68," as it is called, offers Tri-Band AX3600 Wi-Fi via two access points to blanket your home in connectivity. In fact, TP-Link claims it is capable of providing up to 5,500 square feet of coverage. Adding a third access point increases that to 7,000 square feet.

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