2010 was a great (and big) year for Tech. Tablets and smartphones were among the big winners in the gadgets industry. LCD TVs (and even their LED counterparts) were becoming mainstream. Wireless was also all the rage. And yes, Facebook, Google and Apple are all in the race to dominate the world.

So, what’s it going to be like for 2011?

Here are my own tech predictions for this year…

GM T’s Tech Predictions for 2011

1. Tablet Wars – There’s no stopping the iPad. Apple’s tablet dominated 2010. It did this year what Asus did to the netbook a couple of years back. Now, people are starting to find the real value of the iPad and through it, tablets have found their own niche in our tech-lives… something of a cross between a Netbook and a SmartPhone. Not too bulky as a netbook and yet, not as small and limiting as a phone. This year (starting with the CES expo this weekend). Everyone’s trying to get into the big “tablet pie”. All major manufacturers will be launching their own tablets and will try to woo end-users. What about Steve Jobs? Apple’s not attending CES… and yes, the anxiety over iPad 2 is killing the rest of us. As to 2011, it will be a fierce Tablet war with iPad still leading the pack.
2. The Cloud will be big – What’s the “cloud” you say? Well, it’s that virtual thing where we store our data and call forth applications from. It’s the magic thing referred to as the “matrix” in film and fiction. And yes, the time of the Cloud is upon us. We’ve seen how companies such as Google began fiddling with the Cloud through the Chrome OS, where you use applications and store data/content solely on the cloud. Netbooks powered by the Chrome OS have already been shipped to market. Personally, I think the market is still a bit hesitant with the cloud… an ominous fear/dread surfaces on whether their personal or business data will ultimately be secure. But 2011 will provide a lot of opportunities for both hardware and software manufacturers… if they can only hurdle that small end-user “fear”.
3. Facebook will be even bigger – There’s not much to write about here. Move along. We all know how awesome Facebook is. Brands will be born (and most of them will die) with Facebook. The trend is, Facebook will become a universal log-on for most sites. The time of registration and filling up useless forms may finally be at an end. Facebook will rule them all.
4. The Console Wars will be defined by software rather than hardware – Now that the top 3 console makers have finally gotten their acts together (in terms of hardware, i.e. motion capture, etc). The real money will now be via software and content. It’s the games that players talk about damnit, not the sleek, black box under your monster LCD TV. 2011 may also see a release of new consoles (I’m putting my bet on the handheld market too), but ultimately, it will be the games that matter. That’s why people buy the consoles anyway (at least for me)
5. Smartphones will finally take off - Some pundits will say that they’ve already taken off. Alright, sure. But 2011 may be the year they go into overdrive and hit Mach speeds. The battle for a platform is still a consideration since there’s no widely accepted Smartphpone platform. Android, Java, Blah-Blah… expect close and fierce competition in 2011.
6. Internet TV – If emailed killed the telegram, we may soon Television (most especially Cable) gasping for air. A lot of manufacturers are now offering Internet TV-ready devices. TV that’s smart and allows you to watch your favorite web videos on demand. With Internet speeds now capable of HD streaming, the year known as the start of TV’s decline may be 2011.
7. DLC will rule – Sales of boxes for games have declined and yes, Virginia, downloaded versions were hot in 2010. People now just download movies, music, games, you-name-it, when they want it and where they want it. 2011 will be an even bigger year for DLC. Companies that capitalize on this fact and offer DLC options will make lotsa money this year. Content gurus have also hit upon the idea of offering DLC “add-ons” to games and content to either make more money or offer more replayability and cater to their communities. Rock Band and Angry Birds are masters of this artform. 2011 will see a lot of companies copy this business model too.
8. 3D will be everywhere – games, movies, you name it. Most will have a 3D version. ‘Nuff said.

And that’s it for me… for now.

I’ll be updating this list every so often. It would be fun to read this again as we close 2011 and see how many of them see fruition.

Enjoy your high tech 2011, peeps!

Peace!

~GM T