2011 Predictions: The Technology World to Come

Column: From the Trenches

From the Dec. 2010 Issue

2010 was a year of significant hardware changes. Our hardware recommendations now include Intel i7 processor chips, USB 3.0, solid state or hybrid drives, and the initial implementation of touch-screen monitors. In fact, we have no hardware recommendation for 2010 that is the same as 2009. 2011 looks to be the year of notable software improvements and more web/Internet enablement without a lot of hardware changes. In addition to the annual updates of software that maintain compatibility with new operating systems and productivity software like Microsoft Office 2010, attempts are being made to make software easier to use, provide better security and backup, enable better reporting, and provide more mobility. Let’s look at some of the probable improvements.

1. Access from smartphones and tablets – Web access is continuing to become more prevalent whatever your device of choice. Whether it’s Google Android, Apple, BlackBerry or some other company and product that is driving your mobile device(s), each has become better at browsing, email and remote access in 2010. We’ll see competitive tablets to the Apple iPad or Dell Streak and innovative apps for all of the phones and tablets. Expect a breakthrough that will make these devices more like a computer and less like a media browser. Further, some users will decide that they don’t need anything other than a smartphone or a tablet, particularly if a smaller tablet at a lower price is released to the market.

My prediction: Within two years, your idea of what can be done on a mobile device will change, and you will do more from a mobile product than you perceive possible today.

2. Browser enablement – Another change in the coming year will be new generation web browsers with new versions of Internet Explorer, Firefox and Chrome. The key feature improvement will be support of HTML5, the new hypertext markup language that will enable more video sound and interactive web. Some are suggesting this will launch Web 3.0.

My prediction: Websites will be rebuilt to take advantage of the new features and performance of HTML5, delivering a faster, richer Internet experience.

3. Video and conferencing services – Cisco, Google deliver key new products – We have begun to see personal video conferencing emerge on phones like the iPhone 4 and with tools like Skype with webcams. 2011 will bring portable conferencing to corporate America with the Cisco conferencing system. Competitors will have lower-end offerings with similar capability within the year. Additionally, products like Google TV, Boxee, Adobe Connect and others will lead the way on streaming video across the net for both conferencing and personal viewing pleasure. As streaming becomes more common, technologies will improve, and even more services will become available to compete with Netflix or Hulu. Affordable, high-quality video conferencing will emerge.

My prediction: More than half of this publication’s reader base will watch some form of streaming video over the Internet this coming year.

4. Analytics in dashboards or Excel components – We often use Excel to get reports to look just the way we want them, even though it can be time consuming to create repetitive reporting using Excel. Office 2010 gave us new tools like Spark Lines to create single cell graphing. Microsoft is working on improving its business analytics capabilities in both Excel and SharePoint. In the meantime, companies like BizNet Software have created a family of products like BizInsight, BizContent and BizBroadcast. Rivet Software has updated Crossfire capable of reporting XBRL financials via Excel. And CCH, Intuit and Thomson Reuters have enabled more Excel reporting.

My prediction: Expect an easy-to-use generalized dashboard tool using Excel components within the coming year.