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2011 was a bit of a bittersweet year in the world of technology. Sure, a lot of great technology came our way this year, including Amazon’s Kindle Fire and the iPhone 4S, but we also saw our share of events that left us feeling angry (SOPA) and even sad, such as the case with the passing of Steve Jobs. However, I’m predicting that this year will be a year in which exciting developments come our way, making it easy to look back at 2011 as say, “so long.”
Prediction #1: SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) is going to fizzle and fade away.
I’ll start this string of predictions with a big one: by the end of the year, the idea that SOPA will somehow pass will be laughable. At this moment in time, of course, the notion that SOPA can and will perhaps pass is fresh on everyone’s minds, and many of us are fearful that this will pass in the United States (which in turn will affect the Internet as a whole). However, fear not, as there is enough backlash against this bill (one of the co-writers, Go Daddy, experienced a retaliation that made them backtrack their support a mere few days later) that the chances of it passing are slimming down every day.
Prediction #2: RIM’s downward spiral will continue.
Okay, this one is a no-brainer: after all, how many people are still using Blackberries in comparison to iPhones and Android phone anyway? The Blackberry maker has desperately tried to increase their revenue through the dwindling line of devices; however, they continue to see losses that have put the company’s future into jeopardy. As has been the trend for the last few years, RIM will continue to see losses once again this year.
Prediction #3: Apple is cooking something big.
If you read Walter Isaacson’s Steve Jobs autobiography (I highly recommend it, by the way), he mentions a technology Apple was working on before his death that has yet to release. Well, spoilers for the end of the book, but Jobs mention that Apple is working on a new kind of television. Not a revision of the Apple TV mind you, but an actual television.
And I believe Apple will unveil it this Summer. What will it consist of? My assumptions are that it will have an App Store built into the television, allowing users to purchase television-related apps as they become available. Want to use the HBO Go app to view your favorite HBO programming? Just download the app to your television and you will be able to do so. Additionally, because of the ability to use Apple’s new cloud service, you will be able to watch television seasons and films you purchased from iTunes straight to your television, no Apple TV required.
Prediction #4: Sony’s handheld will defeat Nintendo’s.
Handheld gaming is seeing a revolution, although the industry’s first innovator, Nintendo, is having trouble trying to find its place in this newly fresh market. While the Nintendo 3DS has performed considerably well, I don’t believe it will be anywhere as successful as its predecessor, the Nintendo DS due to the climate it finds itself in. Additionally, Sony’s new handheld the PS Vita will release early this year, and I predict that the PS Vita will outsell the Nintendo 3DS this year. Yes, a Sony handheld will outsell a Nintendo handheld.
Why? Because it’s killer app is the PlayStation 3 itself. With this handheld, you have the ability to play your PlayStation 3 games via the handheld. Add to the fact that the games in development look as if they belong on the PlayStation 3 and that the device supports 3G as well (meaning it will have an app store), and you have a device that is going to be coveted by those who would have never purchased a 3DS and those who already own one. Online gaming will be huge on this device as well, making it a device that defeats the 3DS in nearly every aspect.
However, the true winner of the handheld market once again will be iOS, which I predict will see the biggest year in gaming purchases since the dawn of the App Store on the iPhone.
Prediction #5: Xbox Live will have its own television channel.
If you have Xbox Live, by the end of December, 2012, you will have the ability to watch a wholly unique television channel via the service. No, this channel will not be like an on-demand service where you can pick what you watch, instead, what you will be watching is a live feed that plays like a normal television channel. And what will you be watching exactly? I have no idea, but it’s going to be a huge deal.
Prediction #6: The price of hard drives will drop considerably.
And it will all be thanks to the increase in cloud services. Last year saw the rise of cloud computing, and this year we will see the usefulness of cloud services solidified. As a result, the price of hard drives will drop by a noticeable amount, and the attitude that “bigger is better” when it comes to hard drive size will change. No longer will many people desire to have a hard drive that is a few terabytes is size, but rather, almost everyone will be suffice with a hard drive that is only a few hundred gigabytes.
Prediction #7: A new Kindle Fire will emerge.
Amazon’s Kindle Fire is a great thing to happen to the tablet industry. It is the best affordable tablet on the market today, but it is not nearly as powerful as Apple’s iPad. However, by this time next year, that will have all changed. For you see, it is my prediction that the first generation of the Kindle Fire was only a test.
In the fourth quarter of this year, Amazon will release the Kindle Fire II that will be nearly as powerful as Apple’s iPad. It will include a camera on the front and on the back of the tablet, and will run its own variation of the Android platform. And the best part? It will only cost $299: $100 more than the first Kindle Fire.
So there you have it, the technology predictions for the year that is 2012. It’s going to be an exciting year, and one that will hopefully make 2013 even more of a leap forward than this year is going to be. Let’s stop looking back at the depressing year that was 2011 and focus on the present, as 2012 is going to be the year of breakthroughs!
Question: What are your predictions for 2012?
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