Johnny Ringo said:
We just don't know how things will play out yet, maybe humanity is plunged into a sort of technological dark age?
Riddley has stated that the difference in tech is there because he didn't want to make a movie that looks like it's from the 70's. Simple as that.
If the movie is good, I won't care about these differences and will chalk it up to the idea that this is a big top of the line scientific research vessel and it has more advanced tech than the much older oil rig we saw in the first film.
...How I'll rationalize it's existence 87 years before the medical facilities we see in AlienS however, I just don't know...