What’s the tech world going to be like a year from today? The tech industry obviously changes much faster than just about any other industry on the planet, which means that the industry might be totally different a year from now.
The best way to protect yourself against these changes is to predict them early. Today, we’re going to make tech predictions that will undoubtedly be 100% true a year from today:
5) Apple will release something special
Apple is the world’s largest tech company. But in the last two years, it sure hasn’t seemed that way. Apple’s market share has plummeted around the world and, while it remains strong in North America, the iPhone continues to be edged out by Android smartphones.
The lackluster product releases haven’t helped. The iPhone 5 was a slightly larger iPhone and the iPhone 5S was an iPhone 5 with what? A fingerprint sensor? That’s not innovation – that’s just ignorance.
But Apple is nowhere close to dead. It has a huge, dedicated fanbase around the world that is just waiting to freely advertise whatever new product Apple releases next.
So what is that next big product? Here are some ideas:
-An iPhone with a larger, full HD screen
-A productivity device to win over business users. The iPad is remarkably popular among business users, and if Apple can release a business-oriented iPad, like an iPad Pro, then it could have a real winner on its hands.
-A wearable Apple computing device, like a smart watch or Google Glass-style device
No matter what Apple releases, it’s gonna be bad news for Microsoft and its fans. I feel like this is the year Apple will bounce back in a big way – and I’m not a fan of Apple at all. Look for a big product announcement in September 2014 or possibly earlier in the year, in Spring 2014.
4) Smartwatches go nowhere
People have been talking about smartwatches for decades. Smartwatches were a key fixture in the earliest spy movies and TV shows. Now, in 2013, we’ve finally seen some smartwatches get released. And consumers have gone crazy over them!
Just kidding. Consumers don’t care about smartwatches, and I don’t really think they ever will. In 2014, we might see a few new smart watches released, but I have a feeling they will never take off like Samsung expects. Unless, of course, Apple releases some mindblowing smartwatch.
3) A working Windows Start button
Windows 8 threw the Start button out the Window. Windows 8.1 added the Start button back, but it didn’t bring back the Start menu. That’s bad for people who grew up with nothing but Windows and it makes Windows 8 incredibly disorienting when you first try it out.
Will 2014 be the year that Microsoft finally realizes that the Start menu was one of the best features in Windows? Maybe. But based on the past trajectory of the company, I wouldn’t get my hopes up.
2) Samsung breaks off from Android
Samsung and several other major Asian manufacturers have been working on a new operating system called Tizen. Tizen OS is an Android/Linux-based mobile operating system that may be set to launch in 2014. Samsung might install it on the Galaxy S and Galaxy note lineup. The OS would likely be very similar to the existing Samsung-modified version of Android.
1) Bitcoins crash
Bitcoin valuations are based on nothing but demand. They’re not linked to any economy or any government policy. This is both a blessing and a curse, and it’s been mostly a blessing lately.
Bitcoin prices have hovered between $800 and $1100 at the end of 2013. I don’t think they’ll stay that way for long, and the price is already nudging closer to the lower end of that spectrum. I don’t know if we’ll see a full on Bitcoin crash, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see their value get decimated.
Of course, Bitcoins have been surprising everyone, so out of all the predictions on this list, I feel like this is the one least likely to come true. After all, more and more companies are accepting Bitcoins, which means they’re more useful to the average person. At the same time, there are only a finite number of Bitcoins in the world today, which means that their value could just keep increasing.
Who knows?! I’ll check this post in December 2014 and see how much of an idiot I was.
