The Biggest Product Launches of 2018

Environmental technology company Plume Labs began shipping its personal air quality tracker Flow in June 2018. The small, Bluetooth enabled, USB chargeable device tracks the concentration and presence of particulate matter and harmful gases in the air so users can avoid the most polluted parts of their city and track their personal exposure to pollution. Anticipation for the product’s arrival has been building since it went up for pre-order in 2017.

After the Land Cruiser, the Corolla is the oldest nameplate in Japanese automaker Toyota’s current lineup. This year, Toyota is offering the compact car to American motorists in a hatchback model, a practical style not sold in the U.S. with a Corolla nameplate in decades. Toyota’s expansion of its fleet of car models is a break from the larger trend in the U.S. automarket as Americans are increasingly choosing trucks and SUVs.

HeadGaze is a piece of software that allows users to use their phones simply by moving their head. The technology, developed by a team of interns at eBay, uses smartphone cameras to track the users’ head movement. The technology could be useful for any one, but for those with motor impairments, it could be life changing. eBay will release HeadGaze on code sharing platform GitHub for other app developers to integrate into their products.

The Apple HomePod, which hit stores in February 2018, markets itself as a voice activated premium quality speaker system. But the device’s additional capabilities also make it look a lot like Apple’s answer to Amazon’s Alexa devices. Through Siri, Apple’s virtual assistant, the HomePod can send messages, check the news and weather, and set timers, among other features. HomePod sales were weak early in the year, but holiday sales will be the true test.

The Portal marks Facebook’s first foray into hardware. More than two years in the making, Portal is a stationary hands free video call device meant to kept on a countertop or other surface. The device’s chief accomplishment is its ability to track and remain focused on the person as he or she moves around a space during the course of a call. Whether or not the device will resonate with consumers remains to be seen, as many have expressed concern over privacy issues in the lead up to its Fall 2018 release.

A lot has changed since Massachusetts-based company iRobot released its first robotic vacuum cleaner in 2002. The new Roomba i7+ can memorize the entire floor plan of a house by room and automatically empty itself. The robot vacuum can also sync with Alexa or Google Assistant and clean specific rooms by voice command. The i7+ hit the market in September 2018.

Fitbit, a health and fitness tech product company introduced its Versa watch in 2018 as an answer to the Apple Watch. The Versa was one of the company’s most anticipated products of the year and boasts features like calming guided breathing sessions, sleep tracking, smartphone notifications, on screen workouts, GPS, and a four-day battery life.

SUVs and crossovers are rapidly gaining traction with American motorists. To get in on the action, Subaru introduced the Ascent, its first third row SUV to U.S. market since the ill fated Tribeca was discontinued in 2014. The all-new Ascent, Subaru’s largest vehicle ever, is both well reviewed and fast selling. Due in part to the Ascent’s initial popularity, August 2018 was Subaru’s best sales month ever.

Previously sold on an invite-only basis, Amazon’s Echo Look went on sale to the general public in mid-2018. The virtual assistant comes with capabilities users of other Alexa devices will be familiar with, like the ability to check the weather, perform a web search, and set a timer — in addition to several new features. The Echo Look is equipped with a camera that can take head-to-toe photos by voice command — a feature designed to help indecisive users pick an outfit — and can send snapshots and videos to friends.

Every year, Apple CEO Tim Cook displays the features of the latest iterations of his company’s products at the highly anticipated and widely covered September launch event. This year was no different, as the occasion marked the introduction of the Apple Watch Series 4 — the latest generation of the company’s smartwatch. The fourth generation Apple Watch boasts improvements like edge-to-edge display, the ability to take an EKG reading, and the ability to automatically contact emergency services in the case of a bad fall, among other things.

In early 2018, Prevent Biometrics, a company established to solve problems associated with concussions in sports, announced a groundbreaking new product — the Head Impact Monitor System. The product is a mouth guard that integrates technology to detect head injuries in real time and immediately help determine whether a player should be examined for a possible concussion. The product is the first of its kind and is commercially available for football teams at select schools, and it is being tested by the NFL.

Founded in 2013 by two entrepreneurs with tech backgrounds, June is a San Francisco-based company with a self-described mission of helping people to cook. Earlier this year, the company released the second generation of its June smart oven. The oven is marketed as seven appliances in one, including a toaster, dehydrator, and slow cooker. The oven also has a smartphone app that allows users to control the oven, check on the remaining time, and even watch a live video of their food cooking. Upon its August 2018 release, the second generation June sold out in a matter of days.

23andMe was launched in 2006 as a project with the aim to benefit from a better understanding of the human genome. Ten years after its inception, the company offered a genetic ancestry service to customers. Last year, the company became the first to receive FDA approval to provide risk information for conditions like Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and blood diseases directly to consumers. This year, 23andMe became the first company to receive approval to provide cancer-risk information directly to consumers based on their genetics. Over 3 million people had used 23andMe for genetic testing as of the beginning of 2018.

Launched in May 2018, the Go is virtual reality device design company Oculus’s first standalone VR headset. The Go is designed to provide users with a 3D, immersive entertainment experience. There are over 1,000 apps, games, and experiences compatible with the Oculus Go, which is selling well, exceeding expectations at a time when VR device sales are waning. While there are other similar VR products on the market, the Go appears to be the favorite.

The Hydrogen One, by camera company Red Digital Cinema, may be the first glimpse into the future of communication. The Hydrogen One runs on Android and in many ways it resembles its competitors like the iPhone and Samsung Galaxy — but what sets this phone apart is its “holographic” display. The phone is taking a novel approach to 3D display — without the need of glasses — of online videos and games, hoping to succeed where other products, like the Amazon Fire Phone, have failed.