Five Things To Watch For In 2010

from the open-the-pod-bay-doors,-HAL dept

Heading into 2010, there are five things to watch which will dominate the field of technology. There are some significant issues which have developed in the last few years, and 2010 will see these come to a head, if not a resolution.

The Cloud
As we head into 2010, the cloud will continue to dominate the scene of technology. This will be hastened by the development of mobile devices. Its real traction will depend on the accessibility of wireless and broadband services. At the end of 2009, urbanites are enjoying the availability of low cost broadband services, while rural area still struggle with getting access to affordable high speed internet. Secondly, the cost and terms of data plans hold back the development of additional technologies and services.

Net Neutrality
Internet providers continue to test models of making money, and 2010 will see the rise of not-so-good models, and government stepping in and drawing some clear lines of authority over service providers and how services are provided.

Access to Broadband
As various European countries toy with plans to combat piracy by using 3 strikes type laws, the United States will look towards drawing bright lines of whether access to the internet is a luxury or necessity. Falling with the latter, the US will need to make significant investment in infrastructure to ensure rural areas get access to reliable low cost internet.

Privacy
A perennial issue, privacy will continue to top issues of 2010. As users become more aware of how their information is used and shared and the value of their information, they'll become increasingly fickle about companies which abuse their good will.

E-books
2009 saw the rise of the e-book, while 2010 will see that field broaden initially with the cream rising to the top. The market will face many of the issues which music has been facing of the years, ownership, distribution, resale rights and DRM. We will see some companies moving to more proprietary formats and locked down systems, forcing users through their channels to access or add data to their readers. However, those companies which embrace open accessible formats will gain broader acceptance by users, though may fall afoul of publishers. The seeds of these issues have been sewn in 2009 and 2010 will see them blossom.

2010 promises to be an exciting (and interesting) year in technology. We will see whether grass roots efforts can beat out the strength and money of the telecom companies, and whether privacy, openness and accessibility really are important to users.

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