Omarstadamus predicts drones, Fiber envy and wacky phones in 2014
Ready for some future talk?
In what’s become an annual tradition, the digital soothsayer Omarstadamus has now donned the mystical aluminum foil beanie of foretelling. Five predictions for 2014 will now be revealed by this seer, who has a bad tendency of speaking of himself in the third person.
Future foil beanie, ACTIVATE!
Netflix goes live
In 2013, Netflix had more success than any other new media company at creating original content, scoring Emmy nominations and lots of eyeballs for its shows “House of Cards” and “Orange is the New Black” as well as its resurrection of “Arrested Development.” In 2014, it will continue to pump out whole seasons of buzz-generating shows at a time, but it will also experiment with live programming such as stand-up comedy specials, concerts or series premieres that will also be available for later viewing. Sure, that gets into YouTube’s territory, but when has Netflix ever shied away from stepping on toes? It will help turn Netflix into a content provider that can also create event TV.
The skyline gets droned
There are still lots of questions about how unmanned aerial vehicles, or “drones” to you and me, will be used commercially. But FAA rules and ethical questions about surveillance won’t stop aerial hobbyists, marketers and tech industry envelope-pushers from filling the local airspace with drones.
Google Glass hits stores… and fails to catch on
There’s certainly game-changing technology in Google Glass, the device you wear on your face that can record video, snap photos and connected to the Internet. But when Google finally releases its retail version of Glass this year, at what I expect will cost about $1,000, it will remain a niche product. Many people are intrigued by Glass, but many more are creeped out by the concept and the stigma of wearing Glass in public won’t be outweighed by what it can do. Even some early cheerleaders of Glass suggest it has huge obstacles to overcome to be a big seller. A device similar to Glass will eventually go mainstream, but Glass itself won’t become ubiquitous.
Smart phone design gets wacky
In order to stand out from iPhones and ever-larger Android phone screens, designers will go out on a limb with unusual smart phone designs. Expect curved glass, crazy colors and weird materials in a wave of smartphone products attempting to out-crazy each other. Ditto on tablets, digital cameras and HDTVs, all products that are due for a big design shake up. Apple itself may try something a little different on its next phone, the iPhone 6, likely to be a departure from its flagship iPhone 5 and 5S devices.
3-D printing in usual places
3-D printing still has a long way to go before it’s mainstream enough to be found in most homes, but expect to see amazing things happening in 3-D printing wrapped inside other kinds of technology. Imagine a toy chest kiosk that could produce simple plastic toys on command or a high-tech toolbox that could manufacture custom household devices and tools. People who wouldn’t buy a stand-alone 3-D printer may spring for a product in which 3-D printing is but one feature or at least use such a vending machine-like device at a store.
And because the future is too big for just five predictions, here’s a bonus one:
Gigabit fuels giga-envy: This year’s roll out of Google Fiber Internet service (and competing ultra-high-speed Internet from AT&T and Time Warner Cable) will cause a wave of jealousy for those not in the first wave of so-called “Fiberhoods.” It will be alleviated a bit by community organizations getting the service, but tech addicts without home access to Fiber speeds will be doing a lot of complaining for a while.
Whew, all that soothstaying is exhausting! Here’s to enjoying the present, right here in futuristic early 2014.
