Predictions for 2006?
By Ryan Block 
posted January 1st 2006 2:00PM
posted January 1st 2006 2:00PM
Ahh, 2006, so fresh and clean (and we only had to retype "2005" about seven times to get that right). We'll spare you our best guesses as to what the future holds for the world of consumer electronics, though we do have some burning questions: will HD DVD or Blu-ray win the war? Which next-gen console will come out on top? (Last year we asked, "Is this finally the year Apple comes out with a video iPod? Will the Xbox 2 actually make it out on time? Does 3G take off?") But we'd rather leave this to you. Predict for us, dear readers, the many possible outcomes of the gadget world in 2006!
to #15 blu ray isnt going to use cartridges aymore lol...
w/e
HD-DVD will be more consumer friendly, since it has a familliar name, but with the help of the PS3, just like the ps2 did, blu-ray will become mainstreamed and HD-DVD will die out slowly, even with microsofts bribes.
ps3 will be the console of choice, and be very powerfull, and with a great launch lineup, all the doubters will be shut up. With a price tag of about $400. Will be easy to develope for. Will pioneer the inevitable HD-Era. True HD
Microsoft anounces loss'es in the billions, once again
PSP hits a new sales milestone by christmas
Nintendo releases a new handheld late 2006, but apeals yet again to the younger generation, and psp steals the show yet again.
Apple will realease x86 OS X and will be an instant sucess.
Bil Gates commits suicide, or at least thats what they think, it was reallly the terriorist!!!!!!
AMD and Intel go head to head, with intel for the first time in a while, gaining back market share with there new processer
my predictions
1) EU gets bitch slapped for trying to make a Red tape internet.
2) Ps3 wins B/C of Blu Ray and Microsoft gets bitch slapped for not supporting it.
3) Apple Rocks out and surprises eveyone with universal X86 support.
4) people finally realize that linux actually costs more to maintain and everyone drops it in favor of Mac
5) Vista Does rock and folks are surprised by what was hidden from them in the betas
6) 3g hits hard
7- Jesus returns to earth but is shot down over iraq by terrorists, US special forces retrieve him and take him to Gitmo for further questioning
8- UFO's arrive and it turns out that the occupants are really just a bunch of teen aliens on spring break.
9- Aliens gone wild hits #1 for BD-Rom purchases.
10- Socialism dies.
I think the Xbox 360 will win out. Sony seems to be making all the wrong moves Microsoft made with the Xbox. I think Nintendo will come in third yet again, but will have a higher market share.
And I regretably think that blu-ray will beat out HD-DVD (heres to paying 25-30 bucks a DVD, and 500 bucks a player).
I also regretably think Apple will gain market share, or keep it's market share (which is already obscenly high, they should be 0). And they will continue to charge an obscene amount of money for them. They will also release "OSX Pussy Cat : cats rule and microsoft drools," and "OSX Meerkat : because we're special" They will also change their slogan to "Macs make you indie/metro, because you're unique"
And people will still mindelessly idol the ipod. I'm sure someone somewhere is building an ipod church somewhere that's blindlingly white.
To the guy who wrote: "I hope that Vista ships WITH WinFS, and the whole 'its going to be a service pack' thing was just a hilarious joke!" I hope you buy an Apple with spotlight --- by the time there is WinFS, Apple will be on OS XXX.
Reading some of last year's comments are hilarious. My favorite is the guy who predicted there would be a TREO with modified multitasking that would allow people to get phonecalls while running applications -- what kind of idiots read this site, the Treo has always been able to do that. Jeebus.
HD-DVD will win because it is cheaper, and is backed by MS. Also, never, never trust sony when it comes to creating new formants.
1.Betamax
2.Minidisk
3.UMD
I also beleive that the Revolution will have a bad lineup of launch games that will scare people away from buying the system. But as time goes on Third Parties will leatn how to program for the thing and sales will pick up.
PS3 will be huge, Unreal 2007 will be a firce competitor to Halo3. People will not buy PS3 just for the games, they will also buy it as a saftey net in case HD-DVD Failes. PS3 will be a big factor in the Next gen DVD race. If Sony can rally film markerters to have a "Plays on PS3" slogan in DVD Comercials, that could be huge for sony.
Vista will be revoltutionary in good and bad ways. It will be so DRM'ed that people who have vast computer knowlege and like to download things from the internet will not buy Vista PC's. The casual PC user will love its simplicity and Eye Candy. The first build will be stable, but people will upgrade their 1.5 GHZ Celerons and lag and be like "OMG MS YOU MADE THE WORST OS EVER!! ITS SOO BUGY".
Apple will have another great year. They will introduce a new shuffle with a screen and it will sell like crazy. The iPods as of right now will stick though the new year. We know that Steve is itching to add more functionality and better hardware, but the iPods have to great a profit to screw around with it. The OSX X86 PC's will transpire a whole load of people switching to Mac. If Apple stops living under a rock and starts to play that Windows and OSX can be used side by side, people will flock to get OSX. People are afraid of leaving Windows because they have been using it for so many years. If Apple lets people do both at the same time, people will feel better and safer about it.
"Both HD DVD AND Blu-ray will fail because of high prices of discs and players. They will have a lot of space to use, but people will figure out, unless it is a movie like titanic, that most movies will fit on a standard dvd."
uhhhh wrong.
Fucking Apple Boyz!
Vista will rock you ass lickers!
such a shame blue-ray is already outdated by holographic disks
2006?
Must Have's : Intel Mac; PS3; Blu-ray; iPod Companions..
Maybe something which will replace LCD TVs (and much cheaper with higher resolution & quality)
New Treo series..3G?HD inside?
Happy New Year!! Hope 2006 will be the year of BIG Surprises!!
apple will win market share with the new intel based machines. and FINALLY BILL GATES WILL RETIRE! hope microsoft gets vista in the market quick. and with serious improovments!!!..
hope they invent solar powered powerbooks :D... just a wish..
By the end of 2006, the only people that know or care anything about Blu-ray vs. HD-DVD are the same people that are talking about it right now. People are being bombarded with high tech options that they don't truly need. The benefits of fitting more content on a DVD are not that important to the vast majority of consumers. Instead, consumers will continue to be attracted to technologies and products that are simple and reliable.
An increasing number of consumers will realize the benefits of audio and video on demand, as well as recorded audio/video (e.g. dvr, podcasts), and any products or services that do this in a simple manner will be popular in 2006.
And Microsoft will buy Yahoo.
In the console world:
Nintendo will become like Sega, simply a game publisher. They will still make gameboys.
Microsoft will take 1st in the console market.
Sony, who is fighting a loosing battle on all electronic fronts, will become what Nintendo is now thanks to their arrogance and under-estimation of their competetion.
Phones:
Cingular/ATT will begin to implement W-CDMA in preperation for a US entry by their japanese master NTT-Docomo.
Computing:
Intel will push it's Vive technology trying desperatly to save the "digital home". Hoping to make consumers aware that crap that used to not work together now suddenly does.
Apple will gain market-share in computers but will loose digital music sales on iTunes due to record industry greed. May spark an Apple music label.
TVs:
Plasma TV's will increase lives from 70,000 to 100,000 hours and fix burn in.
LCD's will fix their contrast issues mid year and begin to stamp out affordable (under $10k) 80" panels.
Sony will release more SXRD's and will focus more and more company assets into TV production and HD players (Blu-Ray).
Misc:
Blu-Ray and HD-DVD will both go the way of Beta. A third more universal technology will be introduced.
Voip will become more popular. This will help prepare consumers for IPTV.
The Google will launch more free city wide wifi networks.
vista, xbox360 = crash and burn m/
HD-DVD will win in 2006, Blu-ray will will be the winner on a longer term. The Revolution will be the winner in the next-gen console war. HDTV will finally break through in Europe and The Netherlands will win the Fifa 2006 World Cup in Germany.
360 will dominate online play
ps3 will dominate having the largest library and Japan fan lockin
revolution will suffer from a conroler only a few understand and enjoy yet will be purchased anyway as the only platform to play zelda and mario on
HD-DVD will win once Blue Ray users start to see they can 't tranfer video between devices, and the ultra high capacity disks don't get shipped at launch. Which ever format is cheaper will be the one with the most adult film content, thats how VHS got rolling...
Apple moving to Intel hardware will be a double edged sword.. We will have to see if they let MAC OS run on plain hardware or window run on Mac Hardware.. If the OS runs on plain PC hardware, fewer people will pay the Extra for the premium harder. Apple is a hardware company more than a software company.
a monkey in every office
i'll spend even more of my life gaming
katie holmes will turn to me for a shoulder to cry on after her predicted breakup with cruise :)
● HD-DVD and Blue-ray will be sverely delayed due to the AACS.
● The launch of the PS3 will usher a new era of fierce fan-boy ranting over which console kicks whos mother where and such.
● If released as schedueld, we'll se if the the revolution controller is all that it's said to be.
● Hopefully HVD will comeout, and leave all the other "next-gen" optical formats in the dust.
apple will release 4 and 6 gb versions of the ipod nano 200 for the 4 and 250 for the six
Entertainment corporations will continue to try to break or outlaw media consumption devices and methods that they cannot fully control. Consumers and the public domain will continue to lose in the war for intellectual products. Sheesh, do I cop out with easy predictions or what?!
-The PS3 will have some very good games, but will be overtaken [for 2k6 at least] by Xbox live and some type of upgrade for the 360.
- Fanboys will once agian find that sony only uses sony stuff, and eventually be stabed in the back agian
- The revolution will rock hardcore, and by the end of 2k6 will have opends up alot of new ideas [which is good for every one]
- Vista will be put back agian due to bugs and:
. Intel
. AMD
. ATI
. nVidia
. Harcore Consumers
. 64 bit supporters
will be pissed.
- Microsoft will start hinting at there take on a portable games device, which will ride on microsofts new Windows Mobile platform
-VOIP will expand
- Goggle wireless will start up.
- The year will be flooded with cheap-ass handhelds
- We will hear Tero a lot because, someone deemed it to be cool to say it.
- Newton to be reformed using a ipod cross breeding program.
- Halo 3 will come out near the end.
There's a bit of my prediction.
- Toji
1. Holographic Storage
2. All internet will be Fiber connections
Basic Package - 10Mbit / 10Mbit - $24.99
Adv. Package - 50Mbit / 50Mbit - $44.99
Extreme Package - 100Mbit / 100Mbit - $74.99
3. Make Windows how it looks but have the source be Unix
4. Make Windows open source so someone can make it better LOL
5. More Wind Generated Power: so we don't have to depend on other countries
6. DRILL OIL FROM ALASKA: WHO F-ING CARES ABOUT THE NATIONAL FOREST! SERIOUSLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
These are the real predictions:
- PS3 will revolutionize the way we play with our Box.
- HD-DVD will come in blue ray format
- Apple won't be "intel inside", and won't "leap ahead" its contenders... but...
- Apple will leap ahead it's current place in percentage points
- We will have transparent windows with Vista... it will have more bugs splaterred than my VWGOLF on a night trip, but everyone will want to have it
- 64 bits will arrive... wait... they have already, courtesy of Half Life2 and Valve
- mmmmmm black ibook, to match my black Ipod... mmmmmmm I just can't see if it will be a Intel powered inboard graphics processor... that part is blurry
- 100$ Laptop will become the next segway
-AMD will still gain market share form Intel
-Intel will do for ViiV what they Have done to Centrino
- My daughter will turn 1 years old :)
- I will have lots of fun!
Blu ray....OVERRATED!!! OVERRATED!!!!
XBOX 360 will rule online gaming again. XBOX Live Rules!!
PS3 will cost 499.99 and people will still buy it, including me.
Nintendo will be a big let down with new Zelda and Revolution with lose the gaming war against 360 & PS3. (remember how much the gamecube sucked.)
PS3 Launch titles will suck, just like 360, PS2 and Gamecube.
Halo 3!!!
Phanstay Star Universe will be underrated!!
Do we need more Mario and Zelda games? (Soccer, Basketball, Baseball and I don't wanna save princess anymore.) 20+ years of the same games and storyline.
NO MORE GRAND TURSIMO GAMES!!! Why I gotta get license every new game?
People stop waiting on PS3 and Revolution, tomorrow is not guaranteed, Get a 360, the get a PS3.
I saw this in an earlier posting.
Unfortunantly, I'm sure this will be true:
There will a major internet disruption or even shutdown and it may be blamed on terrorists. It will actually be caused by the UN attempting to take over control of the web from the US.
My Predictions :
- Sony Ericsson will release p990i follow-up with retractible landscape keyboard & skype
- Google shares will hit 500USD
- Apple will release the Mobile Phone Ipod with WiFi
- Apple market share will double in europe
- Engadget will start writing about new technology in Africa
- HTC will still lag behind Symbian
- Google will begin IPTV
- Tablet PC's will still be
- Our mobile phones will have a 8 inch retractible and rolllable screen from Phillips
ipods w/ wifi!
HD-DVD will win and Nintendo Revolution will also come out on top for its impressive and unique design and features. Tom Cruise might marry Katie Holmes but it will inevitably fail. Arrested Development will most likely stay cancelled and not make the return like Family Guy did.
This site gave me a Xbox360 for doing two free trial offers I did preflix and video professer and got may xbox360 in 10 days here the site http://www.productestingreviews.com/xbox360.htm
The Google OS will be launched, able to run on Wintel, Apple and Windows Mobile hardware.
The Concept of "The Website" and related disciplines like Space management and click track analysis will start to erode as every user experience with online media is different due to the publishing/subscription model.
WIMAX will seriously challenge the IP telephony market.
Standalone WIFI/WIMAX Skype/Google Talk phones will become affordable.
We will se economical, political and legal conflicts in and about the blogosphere.
Long-range, non-Internet wireless P2P-based networking protocols wil take off in the third world as platform for both email, document acces and IP telephony.
Solar cells will become efficient and cheap enough to be included ind handhelds.
Portable units will concentrate around the "One Pocket- One Thing" mantra, users wil not carry both PDA and phone anymore.
I would hope a full function media box (whether PC or game console) will be available by end of 2006 with the Intel VIVE chip - and it will work with all types of input - TV, DVD, CD, cable, DVR, etc. OK - let's just hope it works better than the current media PCs and Windows Media XP.
1) Engadget will announce the winner of the Folding@Home contest that ended on December 15th, 2005. And announce a new contest.
2) Apple will launch the iPhone (not Motorola iTunes phone, but a cellphone designed by and built by Apple with Apple technology and software).
3) G-Mail will (finally) come out of beta mode and lock at 5 GB mailbox size for at least 2 years.
4) Google will launch a real, MSN-Messenger-opponent-worthy IM client.
5) The Sony Playstation 3 will launch by early to mid 2006 and sales will exceed those of the X-Box 360. Nintendo announces that the Revolution is not going anywhere and sells out to Sony.
And that's about it.
A lot of sony fanboys!! Where are Microsoft and Nintendo fanboys?
PS3 will sellout in every region it comes out, but there won't be any must have launch games. Launch games would be mediocre compared to X360 launch. X360 will have a price cut 1 week before PS3 launches.
HD-DVD and Blu Ray will not take off, because only hardcore consumers will buy them. The majority of people still buys DVD in large numbers. DVD movies will lower in price.
HD-DVD will be considerably cheaper (in price) than blu ray, and as the battle heats up, Blu Ray won't be able to catch HD-DVD's low price.
Microsoft will Delay Vista
Apple will Release OS X for Standard PC's
Dell Machines will have OS X as an Option
Google will launch GoogleTV set top box's and offer all google video content free over the stream
Apple iPod will have a 90% Market share of ALL mp3 players worldwide
The nintendo Revolution will sell amazing well compared to the other consoles
the Xbox 360 will suffer the same fate as the Dreamcast
Podcasting will reach a whole new level as a New radio station will be launched that plays podcast after podcast 24/7
The iPod will become even thiner while including WiFi and Bluetooth (think about it why would they want all macs to come with bluetooth except for that reason)
IPTV takes off.
Most networks in UK and US provide viewing over broadband facilities.
As a derivative of RSS, an internet standard is formed for the cataloging and distribution of IPTV content enabling software clients to access multiple sources.
Microsoft tries to enforce own IPTV standard for use with Windows Media Center and fails to implement agreed open standards.
Apple launch Mac Mini-style set-top box running Front Row with full IPTV / PVR functionality, capturing 90% of market share.
Apple secure season seven of "24" as exclusive IPTV content available only through iTunesShop.
HD-DVD, Blu-Ray?
Am I the only one who thinks a measly 20-30gigs isn't enough anymore, when we already are carrying 60gig ipods around?
Anyway, with seamless access to the internet who needs to carry around media anymore? With EVDO (or upcoming WiMax) and a networked drive you can access all your data anytime/anywhere.
Media prices are in destined for a downward spiral, while connection speed increases are not going to stop anytime soon. (I've already got 100Mps FTTH)
Portable media is dead! Ubiquitous access for 2006!
(Honestly though, it may take a little longer...2007?)
- Panasonic hvx-200 and other cameras that deliver true HD for indie filmmakers at crazy prices
- Microsoft buys a big Telecom vendor
- Palm and Tivo file chapter 11
- A grateful dead iPod with 60GB of Grateful dead live recordings marks the beginning of the end of the ipod dominance
-PS3 will rules.
-Blue-Ray will dominate but HD-DVD will never give up.
-PSP with built-in harddisk (at least 60gb) and 12+ hours of gameplay with new battery tech.
-Xbox 360 v2 with HD-DVD support (or maybe B-Ray support).
-iPod with built-in digicam (8mp) with the help of Sony CyberShot (Sony wants to take over the world, am I right?).
-A first suicide by a robot (oops, that will be 2060).
.......I will travel trough time with my time machine then I will update more predictions.
2006 Hopes:
=BluRay/PS3 duo will kill the competition this year!
=Nintendo Revolution will change the course of gaming with it's ingenuity and creativity and will guarantee appeal to those who strive to be different as long as they can get over the physical enthusiasm required to use the controller. I'm a big Nintendo fan and I was a little disappointed in the GameCube but what they lacked this year in sales they made up in proprietorship.
=Portable media players will use kinetic energy.
=UMD recorders and blank UMD media (for those who want to keep their PSPs legit and like to support corporations that bring entertainment fun and enjoyment to the people).
2007 Heaven:
=Kinetic powered portable computing and everything else electronic.
=Touch screen desktop monitors.
=Korea's Samsung joins the console wars.
=A product called Memory Jogger will assist in retrieving information in humans via a feature on the device to where you can select, from a menu, what type of memory you are trying to retrieve. The device would then flash a series of random specialized illustrations prescribed by psychological/socilogical professionals that would trigger the very memory you were stressing for. Or the device could, using the same menu interface, help retrieve a memory simply via electric impulses.
I actually just thought of this just now and it sounds pretty cool to me. Commercially, this could be very helpful with EVERYTHING. No more conversations where you couldn't remember something, no more, "it's on the tip of my tongue" incidents, a little less, "I wanna gonna tell you something IMPORTANT but I forgot!" moments. Limitless applications. More importantly this could help in crime fighting. Victims or witnesses can give near real-time description of crimes or violations, etc, etc. I have no clue how this would even be developed since I have reached my curiousity cap so... somebody out there steal this idea and bring it to life PLEASE!!! But mention that I had some part in it :) If this is a stupid idea to you guys please refrain from commenting.
=A clickless (mouse click) OS or version of an existing OS will be released www.dontclick.it
Cellphones with hard drives or large amounts of flash memory will start to kill off the mp3 player market and the camera market and by the end of the year should start to digg into the computer market.
apple will release a proper ipod phone.
i guess about %40 of people will replace windows with linux before december 2006 when M$ stops updating security for xp.
mobile linux operating systems will start to pop up (if they hav'nt already)
Flash drives will become widspread in laptops and phones.
harddrives will break the 1TB barrier.
Any type of media that can be distributed over the internet will be.
voip will cut phone bills drastically.
High quality open source computer games will be developed and out do games by the big companies.
all cars will be tracked on brittish roads and this system will spread to the US and other countries drastically cutting crime rates.
The open source idea will spread into evry aspect of our lives.
The Riaa/mpaa will become so weak after losing so much money through court cases that theyll have to close down.
The copyright laws will change.
the world will become a little bit more unified.
Hopefully a single universal currency will be created
Two words: dick drive
My Predictions.
1. There will not be an ipod shuffle with a screen... they already made that. (It is called the nano).
2. iPod will get blue tooth (I wouldn't be surprised if that is sooner rather than later). I am sure they will release a higher capacity iPod as well.
3. Ok, since everyone else seems to have an opinion on this HD-DVD vs Blu Ray thing... Does anyone remember how much DVD players cost when they first came out? Or how much a CD-R cost when they were first released? Yes, these things will be expensive when they first come out, and early adopters will pay a premium to watch movies in HD on that outdated plasma screen that they probably paid $10,000 for when they first came out. As more people get HD, and more movies are release in HD, they will get cheaper.
3. Sony will add blu ray to their digital living 200 disc changer, increasing the maximum storage to eleventy billion gig. It will get copied by other manufactures and sold as a cheaper add on to any media center or vista pc.
4. Home servers will be marketed hard core once Vista comes out. Probably in the livingroom friendly Media Center boxes, viiv platform with crazy amounts of storage. Oh, and definately cable card for the PC.
5. Vista will come out. It will have bugs, almost all software does when it is released (especially by ms). (I think they should release it like they did WMCE, only with certified hardware so that morons with old pc's don't buy it and try to run it on hardware that doesn't meet the min. requirements.)
6. Every gamer that can scrape enough money together will buy a PS3. Nintendo will continue to dominate their niche market (Handheld games for DBZ and Pokemon fans).
7. Someone will buy myspace (microsoft, google or yahoo)... my money is on google, they will then start selling adds on every page, incorporate their email and chat.
8. Microsoft will develop their version of the podcast.
9. IPTV will not hit big this year, the infrastructure is not in place yet. DMB won't either for the same reason.
10. Home Automation will become more mainstream.