2010 was a year of innovation. Not only did it dictate what will happen in 2011, but it sparked a new movement in mobile devices and technology overall.
Here are a few of what, I predict, 2011 may be the year of:
4G Network
2010 was the birth of 4G. 2011 WILL BE the year of 4G (although the very definition of 4G is questionable).
Sprint has just started rolling out its 4G network in July of 2010 to some US cities. By 2011 and on to 2012, Sprint will have covered the US. Verizon and T-Mobile has just launched its 4G Network and AT&T should soon follow. 4G should be available to most consumers by the second half of 2011.
Tablet/Slate PCs
Apple conquered the tablet market in much of 2010 due to its iPad. 2011 will have been the other tablet companies’ time to catch up. Although I believe the iPad will still conquer the tablet world in much of 2011 due to its upcoming iPad 2, I’m sure that other companies would soon pick up their slack and truly create a revolutionary tablet of their own.
Solid State Drives (SSD)
The price-point of a decent sized SSD have always driven consumers away from actually buying them. If only you have the cash to burn and the openness to tiny drive spaces would you be willing to buy one at such a ridiculously high price.
SSD does have its benefits: faster speed, no moving parts, cooler than a hard drive and most importantly less power consumption. What it lacks is capacity and price.
With the recent introduction of Apple’s MacBook Air 2, 2011 may just be the year the SSDs would flourish and platter hard drives would be the CD of the DVD-era.
Cloud Computing/Cloud Storage
As we’ve seen with the Chrome OS, I predict 2011 will be the year of cloud computing. People will not be tethered to their files on their physical hard drives anymore but by working “in the cloud”, people are able to access their documents anywhere and everywhere they please.
Wireless Everything
From TVs to cars, I predict 2011 would become the year of true wireless freedom!
TVs would be able to stream content from computers to set-top boxes and gaming systems.
Cellphones will have the ability to sync and charge wirelessly.
Cars will have integrated syncing controls (I know this is a long shot, but hey, what the heck?)
- Some higher end cars will have a charging cup/holder where you just place your phone in the cup and off it charges, syncs with your car and talks to your car.
- When I say talks to your car, your car continually evaluates itself and sends that data to your phone so you can review it at a later date to see how your car is doing.
- Most if not all cars will have a bluetooth function. I strongly believe all cars should have this safety feature. Not only bluetooth for calling but also for texting. Your car would read the text aloud to you… or not (if you choose to decline it) and if you want, you can reply with a voice message. Not only will that feature be a convenience to its consumers but also a safety feature for those pesky texting while driving people.
Charging. Gone are the days of mangled wires of phone chargers. You would simply drop your device on to a mat and it will charge without a cord. I want to see wireless TV sets – ones that you won’t have to plug-in!
