As we sit on the cusp of 2023, with the pandemic seemingly behind us, yet still threatening to mutate anew, and reportedly set to infect a million a day in China now the lockdowns there have ended, we still live in an era of incredible potential and amazing technologies, so while humanity continues facing ever-greater challenges, I'm always optimistic that the best is yet to come.

With the advances we've seen in AI through the OpenAI DALL-E and ChatGPT, as well as Lensa AI, advances in processing power from Apple, AMD, Qualcomm, Intel and others, AR, VR, MR and XR glasses and experiences that keep getting better yet still seek the killer app, tech keeps getting better.

Yes, we are still witing on even better battery technologies that remain on the cusp of being truly revolutionary, but we've seen great software smarts, although the 5G improvements delivered so far haven't quite been as amazing as originally promised.

We've seen big leaps in satellite broadband with now one million Starlink subscribers, the emergence of SOS emergency satellite services on the iPhone 14 range that have already saved lives, with  more to come, ever better wearable technologies from Apple, Samsung, Google and others, continued medical advances and so much more, the 2020s continue being an exciting technological decade that ushers in major changes to the way all of those things happen and are delivered.

Just as 2007 saw the iPhone and its various Android clones dominate the last decade and a half, the aforementioned promise in XR (extended reality) smart glasses is still to be realised, and we might just see the first version of Apple's VR-style glasses arrive in 2023 at long last, with 2025 when we might see AR glasses - and with Qualcomm doing a lot of its own accord to also bring the AR revolution into being.

Autonomous and electric cars seem perpetually on the cusp of true autonomy, thanks to Elon Musk's endless promises, but it will likely take another decade of processor, sensor, neural and software development before we can truly rely on cars to be robots on wheels, because while full self driving has been promised, it's certainly nowhere near 100% reliable.

Robots are another area that will be a lot closer to our sci-fi dreams and expectations within a decade, with today's tech impressive in its demos (such as those seen by Samsung, Tesla and others), but they're still far from the types of robots sci-fi movies take for granted.

iOS, iPadOS, Android and Windows keep maturing impressively, and even though Microsoft seems to take two steps back every now and then as it moves forward, especially when it comes to the security promises it makes but always seems to have elude them, computers today are the best they've ever been, with the promise of so much better still to come - especially from Apple and Qualcomm.

5G is more widely available than ever before, and only getting faster, with talk of 5.5G and plenty of early talk about 6G out there, along with the impressive advances of the Artemis wireless technology revolution that makes traditional wireless technologies obsolete, even though the industry is trying very hard to keep those now old-fashioned technologies alive, and as mentioned, satellite broadband is exploding in speed and popularity, with much more to come over the course of this decade.

Even the NBN is much more advanced in rolling out ever more fibre direct to people's homes, delivering 250Mbps, 500Mbps and near 1Gbps speeds, which is great for consumers and businesses.

Cybercrime and online scams are a dark spot, with the Optus and Medibank hacks massive wake-up calls, and while cyber security companies have risen to the challenge, with Cybermindz.org also launching as the world's first mental wellness program for cyber security professionals, cybercriminals keep getting ever wilier and sneakier. It has been a case of "if" you'll be attacked, but when, and how often - and 2022 sadly demonstrated that in spades.

I know some people who proclaim to have lost faith in humanity, but despite the challenges the world faces today, I see plenty of hope, plenty of potential, and plenty of good out there.

Evil and problems will always exist, but its how we react and adapt as a species - and individually - that makes the difference, so please, never give up, never give up hope, and if you need help - ask for it!

What 2023 will bring is yet to be seen, but I pray the world calms down geopolitically, and focuses on solving problems, and not creating new ones - with more peace, and less war, whether in Europe, Asia or anywhere else.

So... as I type this on Christmas Eve, may you wholeheartedly enjoy this incredibly special and amazing time, may you hug your loved ones, may you love them and bless them with all that is good.

May God bless us all, and may you have the most amazing Christmas week and let's hope the New Year 2023 is a true change for the better.

From all of us here at iTWire, iTWireTV and CommsWire, thank you for being loyal readers and viewers. We truly appreciate you and wish you the very best.

Onward and upward, to infinity and beyond, may all your bits and bytes be coursing along at 5G and fibre speeds as 2022 shortly ends, and we enter 2023 refreshed, re-energised and ready for everything the future will bring.

From Alex, Amanda, Andrew, Chris, David H, David MW, Kenn, Michael, Nick, Peter, Sam, Shane, Stan, Stephen, and everyone at the iTWire family to yours - Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!