2002 Emerging Technologies Hype Cycle

2 Trough to Plateau

We continue our examination of the 2002 Hype Cycle of emerging technologies with a look at technologies that have passed the Peak of Inflated Expectations. Compared with previous years, there are a large number of technologies in the Trough of Disillusionment, which reflects the surge of new technologies that entered the market during the investment boom of the late 1990s, but have failed to meet expectations. Some long-time trough residents, such as voice over IP (VoIP), are finally moving up the Slope of Enlightenment through real-world deployments. Others, such as wireless LANs, are graduating from the domain of advanced technology groups onto the Plateau of Productivity.

In the Trough