#tech 2013

Its that time of year when we are all racking are brains to predict what will lie ahead in the year to come, and hopefully be ready for it. I love getting stuck into these articles weather politics, music or in the case the tech world. Here Mark Anderson, the analyst and CEO of Strategic News Service, gives Arik Hasseldahl of www.allthingsd.com his 10 predictions for 2013.

1. “CarryAlongs” Dominate Global Computer Markets: Anderson lumps notebooks, tablets and everything in-between into a category he has labeled “carryalongs,” and he says they will take their place as the largest segment of computing devices. “Surface and slates and iPads and Kindle Fire and Nexus 10 and everything else that’s got a 7-inch screen plus or minus an inch or so, will be the biggest category of computing device.” Okay then.

2. Intel: Long Live the King, the King is Dead: Intel may still be the biggest supplier of chips to the world’s computing devices, but if look at prediction number one, you know that Intel doesn’t yet play a significant role in the “carry along” market outside of traditional notebooks. “Qualcomm and ARM are the new William and Kate” Anderson says. Intel will seem primarily a supplier to the world’s server vendors. With CEO Paul Otellini retiring in May, the one way out of its current troubles will be to name a new CEO with what Anderson says are “real tech chops.” Otellini he says “marked the first time a marketing guy got the CEO job at Intel. Before that they were all engineers, except Craig Barrett who was an operating guy.” Intel he says “has lost the consumer stuff, the handheld stuff, the slate and tablet stuff. All it has left are servers. It has lost the mastery that it had.”

3. Net TV Dominates. A majority of US-based homes will have Internet-connected TVs and related products like AppleTV, Roku boxes and so on. This will fundamentally change the production of content in new and interesting ways, and the result will be a lot more cheaper content. “This is going to become what TV is, and the result is that the cable and satellite companies are going to have a tough time. With the exception of sports, this is the end of cable as we know it.”

4. The LTE vs. Fiber Battle Creates Regional Revolutions in Broadband. In certain regions where the only broadband Internet option is DSL line, LTE wireless devices and services will become the standard replacement, where LTE service is available. “In most cases you’ll be paying more, but you’ll also be getting more. This is a really interesting flip in some regions. It will be interesting to see this fight because it has a lot to do with what’s in the ground.” It will mark the start of a fight between LTE and fiber optic technology that will take a decade to resolve and what Anderson says is a “real revolution” in broadband pricing and provision.

5. Google Gets its Mojo Back. Google’s efforts in email, video, smart phones, maps and driverless cars have in Anderson’s opinion opened up new long-term paths for expansion at Google. Having killed off several products and services that weren’t seen as core to its operations, Google will in 2013, look a lot more focused a powerful when compared to Facebook, Apple and Microsoft in 2013, he says. “Google has turned an important corner where after all the experimentation, it has created a number of true businesses where they have a foothold and terrific products, and there are more to come.”

6. The Driverless Car Becomes a Serious and Competitive Global Project. And speaking of Google’s driverless car, that’s going to become a thing over the long term. Volvo plans to become a player. It’s not just a curiosity, it will in the future become a real market, he says.

7. eBooks are The books. Total ebook sales in dollars will beat adult paperback sales in 2013, Anderson says, and will continue on a growth trajectory toward dominating the entire book-publishing business.

8. Enterprise IT Struggles to achieve very modest gains. “Big Data” may be a big marketing cry that keeps people talking about enterprise IT, combined sales of hardware, software and other enterprise tech will collectively grow very little on a global basis. “They year-to-year spending increase will be very small, maybe only 1 to 2 percent, even though the companies doing the spending are sitting on trillions in cash.” One exception: Security.

9. Hacktivists rule. Hacktivists like Anonymous and those like them will take on an increasingly important and Anderson argues permanent role — in forcing political entities to become more transparent. They’ll cease being annoying and actually become a longer-term part of the political and cultural landscape. The result? After struggling to keep their secrets, governments will be force, in time, Anderson says, to become more open.