Sunday, January 04, 2004
Look to the future now...
New year, new opportunities. Here are some of my future-looking predictions for 2004.
So, it's a mobile, wireless and internet-dominated world, is it? No - it's simply that most mobile, wireless or internet technologies (when they work properly) offer something that people need, want, and find easy to use. It's simplicity for all that is going to drive change, not technology for its own sake.
New year, new opportunities. Here are some of my future-looking predictions for 2004.
- An internet retailer will kill off a major high street retailer (and presently, that looks like WHSmith, but I think they'll make a comeback)
- Wi-fi hype will die down but wi-fi hotspots will continue to develop and wi-fi in the workplace and home will become much more common
- Media Centre PCs won't take off too well and will be superceeded by streaming media servers sending wireless stuff all around the house, including the t.v. (sort of here with the Linksys system but will become simpler and easier
- Broadband and wireless or cat5 wired networks will become increasingly important in estate agent blurbs
- The current focus on 'Grand Challenges' in science will continue, will gain political interest, and will be dropped politically
- HCI will make some significant strides in modelling temporal issues, in agent-based interaction, and in generic usability
- Electronic art/accessible digital photography will become widespread
- There will be some consolidation in the mobile phone space
- Non-conected PDAs will almost die out
- PCs will retail for sub-£100 (without monitor)
- A university will go bust (and may be bailed out by the government)
So, it's a mobile, wireless and internet-dominated world, is it? No - it's simply that most mobile, wireless or internet technologies (when they work properly) offer something that people need, want, and find easy to use. It's simplicity for all that is going to drive change, not technology for its own sake.
(c) 2003-2005 Russell Beale
Atom
RSS