2011 Technology Related Successes and Failures
New year’s eve is always a time for consideration of the year gone past and so it is on this occasion that we reflect on the technology-related successes and failures from 2011. Read on to see what we consider some of the great moves during 2011, while we ponder on some of the big missteps made this past year.
Successes
iPad 2 – Building on the success of the initial iPad launch, the iPad 2 saw the light of day on store shelves in March and enjoyed record setting sales for the rest of 2011. Still the undisputed market leader, the iPad has set the bar for other tablets and become the device all others are measured against. Amazon’s Kindle Fire – The first 7″ tablet to really succeed, the Kindle Fire has filled a gap in the market for those looking for a tablet that is more than an eReader but more affordable than the iPad. Cloud Computing – No matter which service you use, the consensus is that it is the technology direction that makes the most sense. Centralizing storage, wireless access and syncing among all your devices are key advantages to embracing the clouds. Many competitors exist, but the leading services are offered by Apple (iCloud) and Amazon (CloudDrive). iOS 5 – The much-anticipated upgrade for Apple’s mobile operating system represented an important myriad of changes that reflected the needs and interests of their considerable (and rapidly growing) user-base. More than 200 updates were included and in true Apple style has been enjoyed by users with very few resulting bugs and issues. Ice Cream Sandwich – Android confirmed my belief that there is nothing wrong with a good ice cream sandwich. Their version 4.0 release represented an evolution of the Android operating system that allowed for the same version to be used on all devices. A considerable number of updates and additions were also included and reviews are glowing. Siri – You wanted voice recognition and Apple delivered in spades. Working as well or better than advertised, Siri will become your digital personal assistant and best-friend. HTML 5 – I struggled with whether to list this as a failure for Adobe’s Flash or a success for HTML 5. Whichever way you slice it, the memory of Steve Jobs was well remembered when Adobe announced in November that they would no longer support development of the mobile browser Flash plug-in.
Failures
WebOS – ‘Flash in the pan’ is a phrase designed for moments like those felt by HP when they released their WebOS powered TouchPad tablet. As quickly as it hit retail shelves it was discontinued and the channel inventory liquidated. A few high-profile buyers (like Oracle) have expressed interest in purchasing the software but it seems HP is laughing them off with their continued high hopes of recouping their $1.2 billion USD investment. RIM – Once the mobile-King, RIM is barely clinging to life. An unremarkable new product line-up and a tablet that came to market with less than rave reviews did very little to revive the life of the brand. All eyes are pointed their direction as we await their next move… with many die-hard fans hoping they have that proverbial hat-full-of-rabbit. Nintendo – Plummeting revenues and poor sales are starting to take their toll on the console gaming giant, proving that the way to stay relevant these days is to be a part of the mobile game –beyond what the DSi and 3DS can offer. Their latest innovation, the Wii U, was debuted at E3 this year with very little excitement and fanfare from gamers. While the Wii U does seem to acknowledge the importance of touch-screens it seems to miss the mark by not operating as more of an independent tablet. Nintendo may be well advised to consider how they can capitalize on existing smartphones and tablets by leveraging existing intellectual property instead of investing in the ‘console comeback’ that they are hoping for in 2012. Samsung – Oops. It’s going to take time for the full impact to really strike, but legal action and trying to compete against your number one client (Apple) can never end well. Where once they were seen as the number one competitor against Apple they are becoming largely irrelevant (not to mention losing a lot of their manufacturing and supply contracts for the components used to build Apple products). A lot of people seem to be interested in their new 5.3″ Galaxy Note wannabe tablet smartphone but I’d bet anything that it’s a novelty that won’t last. Sony – It’s going to take a while for Sony to stop feeling the sting from their Playstation Network hack in the spring of 2011. Even though 77 million users were affected and the information compromised ended up being largely irrelevant, the resulting weeks-long outage for the network was a significant hit to Sony’s reputation.
Too Close to Call
iPhone 4S – It is an undisputed face that Apple’s release of the iPhone 4S was a significant upgrade on the existing iPhone 4 smartphone, but with most of us hoping for and expecting an iPhone 5 that featured cosmetic changes the new model was a disappointment. Most reviews of the new iPhone came back overwhelmingly positive but concerns over battery life that Apple just can’t seem to address still has some people a little concerned. Netflix – While they were the first truly successful service to market subscription-based streaming of television and movie content, increased competition (from services released by high-profile, good-reputation entities like HBO) and a botched attempt to split the company into two this fall landed them with decreased trust and a whole lot fewer subscribers. Microsoft – 10 years ago nobody could have predicted that Microsoft would be at risk. In a world where they were once thought of as kings they are now wearing the ‘coulda/woulda/shoulda’ badge. Largely unrepresented in the smartphone and tablet market, the new version of Windows they are developing sounds really great. Sounds being the operative word because they can’t seem to get this thing delivered and they are rapidly losing their window to release with the requisite authority and resulting consumer interest. With RIM circling the drain there is a real opportunity for Microsoft to step in as ‘the other guy’ in the corporate-world fight for mobile-market dominance, but they need to act quickly. The good news is that the Xbox 360 is still performing well in the console market and a lot of people are keenly interested in their Microsoft TV service… there is a lot of potential but the key will be what these guys can actually deliver fully completely in the upcoming year. Social Networking – This is a category chock full of hits and misses. Google launched Google+ with a resounding thud. Facebook seemed to do a little better but delays with the iPad app (and updates to the finally-released version) and their HTML 5 platform (project Spartan) never seeing the light of day has us wondering what their next move will be. Twitter seemed to see the most forward momentum with huge adoption rates and full iOS 5 integration but time will tell whether this service becomes truly important or a passing fad. The one concept that did seem to be cemented was the idea that social networking is our end-state but it has to become quicker and easier for us to manage.There is no doubt that 2012 is filled with possibility and potential: Will we see an iPhone 5? What kind of updates will be realized in the iPad 3? Will Microsoft deliver Windows 8? Will AppleTV have the kind of evolution that Steve Jobs hinted toward? Which streaming television and movie services will come out on top? I certainly look forward to all of those answers and more.
Happy New Year to all of you from PadGadget!!!