The tech year ahead
Oon YeohPublished: Dec 14, 2010 3:20 AM | Updated: Dec 14, 2010 3:32 AM
Last week I wrote about some really happening tech trends for the past year. This week it’s all about looking forward and what you can expect in the new year.
Last week I wrote about some really happening tech trends for the past year. This week it’s all about looking forward and what you can expect in the new year.
Android phones gain acceptance
In the US, more Android phones are already sold than iPhones but over here very few people have Android phones. The reason is simple - the smart phone market is dominated by iPhone (left) and Blackberry. Nokia, despite faltering in the smart phone category, is still a very popular brand here. That leaves very little room for the Android phones. But that all might change next year as more brands like HTC, Motorola, SonyEricsson, Samsung and LG embrace Android.
Tablet wars erupt
The iPad has finally arrived on Malaysian shores and it’s selling like hot cakes, as to be expected. The Samsung Galaxy Tab, much-heralded as iPad’s main rival, has also just arrived. In the coming months, you can expect to see many more Tablet computers for various companies to enter the market. It will be an all-out Tablet war. My prediction is the iPad will prevail, just as the iPod has done in the digital music player segment.
App publishing takes off
The interesting thing about Tablet computers and smartphones is how they’ve facilitated the growth of a brand new industry: Apps. While people are accustomed to getting everything free on the Internet and thus are reluctant to pay for content when it’s on the web, this is not the case with apps that are sold for phones and tablets.
With the explosion of Tablets anticipated to happen next year, publishers cannot afford to ignore this channel. I do believe there will be a surge of interest in app publishing locally. It’s already happening abroad so there’s no reason why it won’t happen here.
Cloud computing ready for prime time
Cloud computing is not new but it was known by many other names before, like “application software provider” and “software as a service”. Basically it refers to software that is hosted in the “cloud” - in other words, distant servers - rather than your computer or on my company’s servers. It’s software that you access online through the Internet.
Some, like Google Docs, are completely free. Others like DropBox which allows you to share files between your computers and with other people, have a free version and a premium version offering more capacity. The notion of using software off the Internet has taken some time to gain mainstream acceptance but it’s now finally ready for prime time and will be commonly accepted going forward.
Social media for business matures
Social media really boomed in Malaysia and the world this year. Next year, the growth will proceed unabated. Not only will more and more businesses get into social media, the way they make use of social media to achieve their objectives will appear in all kinds of innovative ways. This was the year businesses got familiar with social media. Next year will be when they make full use of it.
Real 4G emerges
The term “4G” gets bandied about quite easily around here. Two local ISPs, P1 and YES, both WiMAX providers, call their services 4G. But real 4G is supposed to offer peak download speeds of 100Mbps for high mobility communication (e.g. when inside a moving train) and 1Gbps for low mobility communication (e.g. when walking).
WiMAX operators in other countries have also been branding their services as 4G but they can best be properly described as pre-4G. Real 4G, in the form of LTE Advanced was formally submitted as a candidate 4G system to the International Telecommunication Union in late 2009 and is expected to be finalised in 2011.
IPTV starts to make headway
Again, not a new technology, IPTV (or TV over the Internet) has finally arrived in Malaysian shores in a semi-mass market sense. It’s bundled with Unifi, the high speed broadband offering from TM. As more and more consumers take up Unifi, which is steadily being rolled out across the country, IPTV will become commonplace, paving the way for many other IPTV service providers to open up shop. This is a good thing, offering more choice for consumers.
Hybrid cars in demand
For the longest time, the only hybrid cars we had available to us were the Honda Civic Hybrid and Toyota Prius, both quite expensive cars at well over RM100,00. Both recently saw a dramatic price drop due to a new policy of removing excise duties. Honda has even introduced a new model called the Insight, which is priced below RM100,000.
With petrol prices increasing, more consumers will look to hybrids and this will encourage more brands to bring in their hybrids car. I think hybrid cars will be very much in demand next year.
Quite a lot to look forward to in the tech year ahead, eh?
OON YEOH’s new social media book ‘Like Me, Follow Me’ is published by MPH. You can connect with him via Facebook and Twitter.
Android phones gain acceptance
In the US, more Android phones are already sold than iPhones but over here very few people have Android phones. The reason is simple - the smart phone market is dominated by iPhone (left) and Blackberry. Nokia, despite faltering in the smart phone category, is still a very popular brand here. That leaves very little room for the Android phones. But that all might change next year as more brands like HTC, Motorola, SonyEricsson, Samsung and LG embrace Android. Tablet wars erupt
The iPad has finally arrived on Malaysian shores and it’s selling like hot cakes, as to be expected. The Samsung Galaxy Tab, much-heralded as iPad’s main rival, has also just arrived. In the coming months, you can expect to see many more Tablet computers for various companies to enter the market. It will be an all-out Tablet war. My prediction is the iPad will prevail, just as the iPod has done in the digital music player segment.App publishing takes off
The interesting thing about Tablet computers and smartphones is how they’ve facilitated the growth of a brand new industry: Apps. While people are accustomed to getting everything free on the Internet and thus are reluctant to pay for content when it’s on the web, this is not the case with apps that are sold for phones and tablets.
With the explosion of Tablets anticipated to happen next year, publishers cannot afford to ignore this channel. I do believe there will be a surge of interest in app publishing locally. It’s already happening abroad so there’s no reason why it won’t happen here.
Cloud computing ready for prime time
Cloud computing is not new but it was known by many other names before, like “application software provider” and “software as a service”. Basically it refers to software that is hosted in the “cloud” - in other words, distant servers - rather than your computer or on my company’s servers. It’s software that you access online through the Internet.
Some, like Google Docs, are completely free. Others like DropBox which allows you to share files between your computers and with other people, have a free version and a premium version offering more capacity. The notion of using software off the Internet has taken some time to gain mainstream acceptance but it’s now finally ready for prime time and will be commonly accepted going forward. Social media for business matures
Social media really boomed in Malaysia and the world this year. Next year, the growth will proceed unabated. Not only will more and more businesses get into social media, the way they make use of social media to achieve their objectives will appear in all kinds of innovative ways. This was the year businesses got familiar with social media. Next year will be when they make full use of it.
Real 4G emerges
The term “4G” gets bandied about quite easily around here. Two local ISPs, P1 and YES, both WiMAX providers, call their services 4G. But real 4G is supposed to offer peak download speeds of 100Mbps for high mobility communication (e.g. when inside a moving train) and 1Gbps for low mobility communication (e.g. when walking).
WiMAX operators in other countries have also been branding their services as 4G but they can best be properly described as pre-4G. Real 4G, in the form of LTE Advanced was formally submitted as a candidate 4G system to the International Telecommunication Union in late 2009 and is expected to be finalised in 2011.
IPTV starts to make headway
Again, not a new technology, IPTV (or TV over the Internet) has finally arrived in Malaysian shores in a semi-mass market sense. It’s bundled with Unifi, the high speed broadband offering from TM. As more and more consumers take up Unifi, which is steadily being rolled out across the country, IPTV will become commonplace, paving the way for many other IPTV service providers to open up shop. This is a good thing, offering more choice for consumers.
Hybrid cars in demand
For the longest time, the only hybrid cars we had available to us were the Honda Civic Hybrid and Toyota Prius, both quite expensive cars at well over RM100,00. Both recently saw a dramatic price drop due to a new policy of removing excise duties. Honda has even introduced a new model called the Insight, which is priced below RM100,000.
With petrol prices increasing, more consumers will look to hybrids and this will encourage more brands to bring in their hybrids car. I think hybrid cars will be very much in demand next year.
Quite a lot to look forward to in the tech year ahead, eh?
OON YEOH’s new social media book ‘Like Me, Follow Me’ is published by MPH. You can connect with him via Facebook and Twitter.
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