2009 New Year Tech Predictions.

Image by ~jjjohn~ via Flickr

As I sit here on a comfy couch, 4 hours away from home, listening to the waves crashing, I'm inclined to wonder about what the new year will bring.  2008 saw lots of interesting trends take hold in the tech industry, and in consumer electronics.  But we are also seeing some the downturn in the economies of the countries of which most of the tech industry lives, and most of the consumer electronics is being produced.

While sorting though the articles on Engaget and the like, I began to wonder which, if any, of the trends in devices and technologies are going to continue.  Devices like UMPC/Netbooks and

Smartphones, either closed platform or open, and technologies like Blu-ray, social network, and Bitorrent.

I think that the Netbook is here to stay, the combination of size, portability, and price is going to continue to find new markets and homes.  For those heading to school, and for those looking for Internet computers so they aren't dependent on the work machine.  As a technician, the Netbook is going to be a better tool than the bulky laptop.

Image via Wikipedia

Smartphones are going to be one of the important technologies of 2009 as we become more reliant on communication, and carrying and accessing our information.  Rather than undermining the Netbook market, the Smartphone will complement the new lifestyle of the portable worker. With the economic situation, you have got to think that we will create a new breed of ultra-mobile workers, willing to move at a moments notice and, if needed, to work on the move.

I hope to see the other designers and manufacturers use the winning principles used by the iPhone to expand on, and develop the mobile computing space.  Thus far, they just seem happy to copy the appearance and style, although that isn't all bad, they just don't have the Apple approach.  Android had the best shot, but by approaching the game like that of a Linux distribution, they were never going to have a mainstream impact.

Image via Wikipedia

In the Smartphone game, it is what you leave out, but then can add back in that will win you the market.

2009 may see a end of HD format Blu-ray or at least a continuation of the poor uptake we have seen over the last year.  One reason for this is that HD is a bit of a luxury technology that requires more hardware than just the player.  One case in point is my mate Matt, who has a nice projector setup for his home theater.  The other night we pulled out "The Dark Knight" on Blu-ray and enjoyed it, even though it was not in HD.  Matt's not interested in dropping another 3 grand, when things look good already.

Another reason I discovered yesterday while having a beer with a neighbour.  The neighbour, a self-funded retiree, had just discovered that they can play CD's though their DVD player.  This didn't overly surprise me, until their daughter, around my age, couldn't believe that CD's would work in a DVD player.  If Blu-ray doesn't start to tap into the regular Joe market soon, the physical media vendors will be swept away by the Downloadable options.

I have a feeling that the whole Social Network thing will implode due the fact there are too many of them all doing the same thing, and I would like to see the whole concept of the Social Network done right.  2009 could be that time, as a bunch of them go bust and those who are left assimilate their ideas.

In a way I hope that the above becomes the theme for 2009.  It would be great to see many technologies and services go though a crystallising process rather than the racing to catch up that we have seen over the last year or so.

Jason 

" Have you turned it on and off again?"