Predictions for 2007?
By Ryan Block 
posted January 1st 2007 2:00PM
posted January 1st 2007 2:00PM
See also: predictions for 2005 and 2006.
posted January 1st 2007 2:00PM
A look back on popular stories from today in a specific year.
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i expect an iphone in about april, but not ht e 6th gen ipod until october. i alsp think the 6ht gen ipod will not be wireless, everyone knows that apple likes to take small steps!
MY PREDICTION: Engadget announces the winner of the photo contest
*Major paper begins publishing solely online.
*Vista taken off the shelves.
*Google releases search engine for TV only.
*The '$100 laptop' hits it big in developing nations and helps connent poorer people.
*Apple's iTV becomes as influential as the iPod.
In 2007 Google will continue its world domination by doing just that (take over the world). Apple will continue to dominate in the world of mp3 along with its new arrival of I-phone2 (the name Iphone was already being used for VOIP), it will also dominate the cell phone market causing a drastic drop in cell phone prices. Pixar film will release a movie with great critical review that also featured the I-phone2 a matter of fact the movie is named “I-phone2”. Ford motor merges with Google in order to bring the automotive pc in every motor vehicle, because of the merger Toyota had to merge with gm in order to combat the merger of Go ford. HD TV plasma and LCD’s now cost $ 200 each and now could be purchased at your neighborhood gas station, after Asian scientist realizes how to produce liquid crystal more efficiently. And in other news not related to gadget after republicans got there asses handed to them in national debates and the country realization that they are all a bunch of blubbering idiots the constitution was repealed and now non naturalized citizen could be elected president, the first nominee named was Arnold Sharc
@Pat Kessock
"looks like we have a fanboy in the house"
Ya Pat you are right, we have a lot of Apple Fanboys in the house
I love the double standard, people can post about Apple all day long but when one person says they like something from MS they are a fanboy
I predict Apple will still have steve suckin fanboys
Alexandria Library start working with google to bring free ebook download to the masses
Apples iTV will do to home theatre what the iPod did for portable music. Remove the media from the equation.
Apple will sell all of it's stock to Microsoft when they realize they are stuck in an endless loop of non-creativity by having to begin all of their product's names with "i."
Microsoft will release Vista, and most home users will upgrade to it because of coupons and the shiny interface. The home users will not care about the bugs. The expert users will be appeased with Service Pack 1. Microsoft is a multi-billion dollar corporation. What makes you guys think they would release a totally buggy, unusable operating system? Get real.
"Research and development? Have you seen what Apple has come out with recently?"
My sentiments exactly. Here's hoping they turn that around.
My 4th post on this subject. I just keep thinking of more.
Multicore processors will start to get weird.
My prediction is that the "Intel Hexcore Wuo" will be released with each core running at 500mhz featuring 16 identical cores.
Due to this new architecture 'all' windows compatible programs are rewritten with multithreading in mind.
They will make a microwave so powerful that it can heat up a burrito so much that jesus himself can not even eat it. Oh and vista will flopp and people will move to an x86 version of OS X for their home pcs along with linux.
Nobody will use a 64 bit operating system due to compatibility issues. Processor makers will realize they are wasting money by making their processors 64 bit.
1. Easier communication between devices (ex: i went through heck trying to get my hermes tethered 3g to vista)
2. the search for a new internet sensation as youtube and myspace lose their novelty
3. bluetooth 3.0 (due for march announcement) in compettition with wireless usb for short range uwb tech
4. new 3g standards (wimax, hsupa)
5. tablets becoming more popular with home users because of vista's intergrated tablet tech in every version
6. more popular wirless tv and media center
7. 802.11N ratified as a final standard
I hope we wont see mobile devices becoming "dumb terminals" for a larger home computer (although you can never have enough remotes ex: bt headset as a cntroller for a cellphone, cellphone as universal remote/sideshow remote for laptop, laptop as controller and terminal for desktop, desktop as terminal for home server, and endless internet based technologies)
I predict:
1. Apple will put duo-core 2 chips in the Mac Mini
2. Bill Gates will suffer a stroke, and demand the release of windows 3.1
3. Steve Jobs will be sent to jail (ok, I added this one so you wouldn't accuse me of being a fan boy)
4. Vista will be released, no one will care and the follow on will be a Linux derivative called simply MS-OS.
There is no apple cellphone, there is no spoon.
5. Terrorists will be the only customers for the $100 computer
6. Net Neutrality will declare war on China.
*No Apple Phone.
*Wii will continue to climb over 360 and PS3.
*PS3 will be more like a PSP in market share.
*Nethier HDHVD or BluRay will be adopted fast, posibly both will be comercial bombs, but HDDVD have more oportunity than BluRay.
*Windows Vista will be easy cracked and will have a lot of bugs and virus.
*OSX wil continue to advance in market share but no abrubtaly.
*Serius problems on Sony and Dell.
*AMD will fail with K8L in performance against Intel.
*Some kind of big buy between companies will be there. I don't know who but will ocurr.
Just a few predictions of mine....
Get rid of the draft and see a wireless-n protocol.
See the deployment of city wide wireless networks in major cities (probably just for the government at first)
Major home phone service providers begin to lay more and more fiber optics. (Screw comcast! I'd like to get me a taste of some 30mbs transfers for pennies a day :-D)
Apple releases a phone with decent success. During this time Vista slowly starts to sell. While going through the features on their new Apple phone a spark in interest on Apple computers begins. Vista using, iphone owners realize how hard Vista bit OSX! lol
Vista users begin to seek alternative OS (OSX, Linux..) In turn Microsoft buys more exclusive rights to video games for 360 to make-up for their lost in the computer arena
Bluray takes a small lead over hd dvd but nobody will care till prices drop
Everybody and their mom has a hdtv (Wii owners have broken ones :-D)
Net neutrality becomes a major issue in 07. Myspace organizes a 100 million man march in protest. People don't show up because they're at home trying to login to check their comments.
Vinyl records become obsolete
We see the first annual Youtube awards lol
Everything you can think of is able to connect to your computer via usb
Presidential candidates begin to use podcasts in campaigns
Fully functional computers begin to replace cd players and navigation systems in new vehicles
And who knows what else is to come....
'Vinyl records become obsolete' not anytime soon
Here is my prediction for 2007...
Vista will come out but with little success at start because people won't see the need to upgrade. Only those getting a new PC will get Vista.
Apple will release a tablet mac with the same features of a cintique (1024 levels of pressure sens as opposed to the 512) Apple gains marketshare with their macs despite the annoying commercials, but loses market share with the ipod. Announces plans to work with Nintendo on the next gameboy.
X-Box 360 will hit the 10 mil mark but not before the Wii. Microsoft starts advertising the Wii60 to compete against Sony.
Sony loses Metal Gear after Konami does not make enough on the PS3 and releases on the 360. PSP2 comes out and drops the UMD format for a mini hardrive and makes all games downloadable, including PSP library and allows free download if you already purchased the game.
Sony loses the HD format war due to high prices and lack of good movies.
Google begins its own ISP and charges nothing for it. Looks into providing free cable and telephone service as well and announces plans to research teleportation for free ad-heavy global transportation.
Bluetooth glasses will come out that will display the caller number in the lense.
Computers will require an Air Conditioning unit and a seperate generator with all the GPU, NPU, SPU, USBPU, FWPU, and other processing units are placed into new rigs.
HD-DVD Wins
PS3 is recognized as overrated- sales plumet
XBOX 360 price drops OR
360 with HDDVD builin comes out at 450
XBOX 360 gets wii-mote style controller system for certain games
ZUNE surpases IPOD
Vista destroys any other OS
HTC Tytn CDMA arrives
ATT will loose whatever Cingular accomplished
Predictions:
~Whichever format (Blu-ray, HD-DVD) released a sub-$300 unit first and takes advantage of dual-formatted discs (ones which also function as normal DVDs), will win the format war. Right now it seems as if HD-DVD can pull it off first, mainly because the cost of producing HD-DVDs is cheaper and the parts involved in a player aren't as complex and don't move as much as in Blu-ray players. My money is on HD-DVD
~As for the consoles...Xbox 360 already has the lead, and with plenty of killer apps upcoming their sales won't be declining anytime soon (just wait until Halo 3 releases). The Playstation 3 currently lacks any games worth buying a system for, even when the consoles do become easier to obtain. The PS3 needs a console selling game that can't be bought on any other system. Metal Gear Solid 4 has the potential to do this, but outside MGS4, all the great games coming out are also going to be available on the Xbox 360 (GTA4 for example). If the currents sales trends continue, it looks as if the Xbox 360 and the Wii could edge out PS3 in sales.
~Portable electronics. The current Zune can't compete with the iPod, and hopefully Microsoft will learn their lesson and completely revamp the Zune to be a much better competitor. However if Apple finally releases the control-less fullscreen 6G iPod, Apple will continue their dominance in the Music Player division.
~As resolutions continue to raise and media is relying less on physical formats and more on downloads, hopefully soon every piece of entertainment will be up for download. Until download times can be shortened however, physical formats will continues to dominate.
~In the movie industry, more sub-$100 million dollar movies will be made in place of the $200+ million dream projects (King Kong, Superman Returns) as technology becomes cheaper and easier to use and as studios demand bigger profits.
~Many games are already becoming just as popular as some blockbuster movies, and this will in theory allow developers more have spending money to create spectacular games. This is also allowed now with the higher storage capacities of Blu-ray and HD-DVD, enabling games to be longer and much more complex.
~ATI vs. nVidia. Ati's newest graphics cards look to trump over nVidia's, and could potentially do so, however nVidia will probably become the overall winner in 2007, due to the freedoms of not being owned by someone, allowing them to focus primarily on what they want instead of what someone else wants.
There's my two cents. Enjoy.
-HD-DVD will dominate the HD movie market while Blu-Ray takes over gaming.
-Zune will exceed all expectations and the iPod craze will slough off.
The guys at Engadget HQ will correct the dates on posts on the mobile version of there site to actually say 2007 - sometime before 2008.
Apple vs. Microsoft
Apple will increase market share but the growth will be because it can run Windows. Many users will use Windows at work and OS X at home. Most companies that dont standardize on one brand will allow their employees to buy Apple laptops and many will (mostly for the design, not the OS).
Apple and Microsoft will not agree on the market share they each will get. It simply becomes very hard to figure out and alternative methods for measuring will give very different results. The total is simply not 100% anymore. Many users will use both. We have seen similar arguments in the past between for example Microsoft and Oracle (lots of companies use both). I think Apple will steal revenue from hardware manufacturers, not from Microsoft.
Microsoft will continue to improve security and reliability (they have given it priority for a while now and have the resources to do it) and I also think OS X will experience some nasty viruses and security holes due to increased attention.
Time Machine will make more people start taking backups. Its just new wrapping but usability matters a lot.
Some but not a lot of users will upgrade to Vista. However, almost all new computers except from Apple will be sold with Vista installed and even a lot of Apple computers will get Vista installed. Vista will be in a strong position at the end of the year.
iPod has an extremely strong position and it will be very hard for Microsoft to challenge it in 2007. However, I think it is possible if Microsoft do "everything" right and adding at least one new killer feature. One killer feature would be a player that allows you to identify any music you hear anywhere and buy it with maximum two clicks (one click to identify and one to confirm the purchase). I believe Apple will launch a video iPod that will become popular.
iTV will become a big success among iTunes users. However, MCE on Vista will as well. It also works great when used with Xbox 360. I believe iTV must allow third party application support before it can become extremely popular.
I dont think Apple will allow a large amount of companies to use their DRM. This strategy is of course highly profitable if they are able to monopolize the market but I think it might backfire for several reasons.
I believe that Apple is far behind Microsoft when it comes tools, documentation and support for developers. Also, Microsoft is better at working with partners. I think Apple have to improve this before OS X can compete with Windows.
Linux will continue to be pretty successful for servers but not be any competitor to Windows or OS X for desktop computers. The main reason simply being that nobody owns it so nobody will standardize the GUI and make it consistent across all applications.
Microsoft will continue to copy Apple and Apple will continue to copy Microsoft. Apple will continue not to leak any information before they launch a new product. Microsoft will continue to release betas and information to developers months and sometimes years before a product is ready.
Apple will get more fanboys in 2007 and there will also be more anti Apple fanboys. Perhaps even Microsoft will get some fanboys in 2007. More people will use both OS X and Windows and many of them will discover that none of them are perfect and that they both have different advantages.
Nintendo loses millions due to low title sales. Apperently the novelty of the controler does not attract loyal fans. Nintendo announces to be a portable gaming system only. And comes out with a Super GB DS. PSP sales plummet
PS3 supplies continue to be limited 10 people are killed over PS3s in one day. Gov't is forced to regulate console sales.
New Video I-pod comes out. No sagnificant imporvments. Still sells millions.
Finally a MAC Killer virus is released. Hundreds of thousands Apple computers are dead. Apple shares drop. I-pod becomes independant form Apple and Google buys Apple.
Google proceeds to buy Amazon, IBM, and Sun. Google-MS war begins. Internet is the new battlefield and blogs are the new weapons
Steve Jobs found dead in his appartment.
well you all are wrong vista will be sooo pathetic it will cost like 50bucks in like 3 months apple will continue to put out a CRAP!!! OS X 123.31234.1234.123 or whatever!!!!!!! it was never any good linux wont support any drivers or anything so no one will use it!!!!! and windows xp or windows vista will be used primarily srry to dissapoint you all but 2007 wont be much differant .. intel will release the 4.0+ gz dual core processor for desktops
a) Some IDIOT will cause Aids 2
b) Bush wants and will get negative ratings
c) someone will DIE
d) Ubuntu will be considered an alternative to Winwhores and MacDonalds
e) PS3 will face some difficulty but will overcome and late year will be most used system
f) HD - DVD will win but once PS3 becomes famous, the battle will start all over again, this time in favour of Blu-Ray
g) Google will make a minor mistake that will get blown out of proportion but hey, they are GOOGLE
h) Terabyte and QuadCore GPU's will be common place by end of year.
i) BFG Ageia PhysX Physics Card will find a place in society.
j) Halo 3 , Quake Wars , Unreal Tournament 2007 , Some gay WoW update or addon will all gain popularity.
k) WoW will be under media fire like Hot Coffee update in San Andreas about its addictiveness.( is that even a word)
l)Google will update Youtube some how, either Google video/Youtube thing or a whole new thing.
m)Internet will still be internet now with more INTERnet
n)Someone will DIE again.
o) End of year, people will be anticipating the departure of Bill Gates and hopefully the downfall of Windows
p) VISTA - Viruses , Internet Worms , Spyware , Trojans , and Adware. You Guess
q) BUSH WILL BE FORCED TO ADMIT FAILURE IN IRAQ - and we will laugh (i know i will )
r) Some Enron thing might start again. some company.
t) We will be getting closer to curing Cancer
u) China will move to USA - slowly with company migrations and companies being sold to them.
v)India will buy Microsoft in 2009 ... lol. We will hear about it soon.
w) The Microsoft / Ford thing will be thwarted by everybody. Will be popular shortly but soon will be like Microsoft.
x) Some car company will get mega rich by the invention of something spectacular to do with cars. ( Hover cars - cross my fingers ) GO AUDI GO
y) Virtual Reality will be considered greatly this year.
z) 0.0000000000001% or 100% chance that JESUS might come. I dont know ask God.
THERES MORE BUT 2007 WONT ALLOW FOR IT.
Apple will be amazing, and will be copied.
MS will looks slow, Ballmer will look out of touch, and Sony will go out of business.