This is the first time in the 14 plus years of writing and running this site that I have ever done an end of year entry to address what the next 12 months holds for the tech world.
Some of these will be obvious – and some may be really out there. The likelihood is that I will get a couple right and be very wrong about the test. That seems to be the typical results from all of the ones of these I have read from others. I do have one cold stone lock event though that I guarantee I will get right :-)
So in no particular order here is what I see happening in 2010:
- Windows 7 will continue to be one of the most secure operating systems ever developed by Microsoft. The incidence of significant infections or malware will continue to trend downward. Along with this they will continue to quickly acknowledge issues with system security and provide updates to address those things in a very timely manner.
- Apple will finally go public with their plans for a tablet and it will be called iSlate. According to reports they have owned that domain name since 2007. The rumors have been beat down for the past year but I think it gets its day in the sunlight this year. Steve Jobs will make the announcement himself.
- Twitter will finally introduce a firm way to monetize their service. This past year they announced premium services for businesses and I think they will offer some premium type services for us every day users as well. Verified accounts for everyday users will be available as well at a cost. Maybe they will also figure out a means to control the spam accounts as well :-)
- Speaking of Twitter – more companies will establish Social Networking guidelines for their employees over the next year. Agreement to these rules will be a requirement for employment – kind of like a non-disclosure agreement is in some high tech jobs.
- Wireless Internet Access will be made available for free vice a fee based service on a much wider basis. Airports, train stations and other transportation hubs will lead the way.
- All companies that create and provide games to be played through social media sites will always provide an opt out for those of us who do not want to receive those blind PM’s from players who follow us or we follow them. OK – this one might be wishful thinking :-)
- Brett Favre will retire from football once again after not winning a Super Bowl with the Minnesota Vikings. This one will be for good!
My one cold stone lock prediction for 2010? This website will turn 15 in August! It all started back in 1995 when Windows 95 was released and continues in 2010. I enjoy running this site and the interaction it gives me with so many people from all parts of the world. I expect that there will be great opportunities to celebrate those 15 years and those to come afterwards.
Thanks for being out there and listening in on a regular basis.
