Wikileaks, iPads, & 3D will probably make most top 10 tech lists for 2010,
along with things like cloud computing, mobile platforms and apps, and, of course social media. Making technology predictions can be a little like predicting the weather or the stock market, but we’ve pulled together some reasonable forecasts from some of our favored reliable sources. (These, of course, are in addition to our own predictions embedded in previous posts regarding the growth of the tablet pc market and the related Google / Apple / Facebook / et al power struggles.) Enjoy, share, discuss, and please feel free to offer your own prognostications.
GAMES
While video game makers leave behind a year of slow sales in 2010, the prediction for 2011 is that
a new generation of games for tablet computers, mobile phones and social networks will spur a return to growth.
APPS
Apps are here to stay. More than half a million apps are downloaded every hour and the average smartphone user has 22 of them, says
Mobclix, citing a Borrell Associates data. But apps are ready to expand beyond the smartphone to appear on TVs, desktop, Web browsers, Blu-ray players, and even cars (Ford SYNC AppLink).
SOCIAL MEDIA
The trend toward
a more intimate social network will also gain in momentum, building on the success of TextPlus, GroupMe, Path, Instagram, and others, including Beluga, developed by three former Google employees.
Ravit Lichtenberg also makes some sound predictions on
ReadWriteWeb about social media, including that
“2. Companies will integrate social feedback into their decision making process” and “
10. The role of the social media strategist will be changing.”
ANALYTICS
On a related note, among the kernels of wisdom you’ll find in angel investor Tim Ferriss’
4 Social Media Marketing Predictions for 2011 on
Mashable is the reminder that analytics isn’t just about keeping track of numbers.
“Listening” isn’t enough. Tracking the number of Twitter mentions tells you nothing. The bigger question is: What are we trying to build or accomplish, and how will we digest and use this data.”
NFC
DIY
For the more adventurous reader:
Tim O’Reilly discusses
how DIY reveals the future of technology trends.
2010: YEAR OF THE iPAD
All the mishegas over the product name couldn’t diminish consumer desire. While the iPad’s closed system remains a problem, otherwise it’s a trendsetter. Not only has it opened a whole new market, but it’s spawned new forms of collaborative creativity in the form of the
iPad Orchestra.
The real issues with the device, as addressed in this article by
Mathew Ingram, has more to do with the apps being developed for use on the platform. See also
Poynter for more on the same subject.
BONUS LINK: INTEL’s 2011 PREDICTIONS
Happy New Year!
