Don’t be surprised if during the course of 2009 you opt for a bigger TV screen because you’re playing more video games and going to the movies less often. You won’t be alone, says a longtime watcher of tech trends in his predictions for the coming year.
Mark Anderson is chief executive of Strategic News Service, a newsletter circulated to C-level tech executives. Each year he makes prognostications concerning technology and the economy. Last year he predicted a breakout year for ultramobile PCs, and he said Apple would launch one. The computer maker’s MacBook Air came close. In late 2006, Anderson predicted the launch of the first PC with solid-state hard drives, which happened in 2007.
Here’s a rundown of his expectations for 2009:
More Screen Time at Home
With consumer spending on entertainment slowing down, consumers will happily spend more to improve their at-home entertainment experience instead of splurging on outings to restaurants, movies, and weekend getaways. That means bigger TV screens to connect to video game consoles for family rounds of Rock Band on the Sony Playstation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, or Nintendo Wii. “People have been investing in bringing these screens into their homes for years, but very few of them are fully gamed up,” Anderson says. “So I think there will be a lot of spending by people to get extra entertainment mileage out of those screens at very low cost.”
Tight budgets also will foster the proliferation of free or low-cost mobile-phone applications. Case in point: Apple’s iPhone App Store on iTunes, where most applications are free — and those that aren’t usually sell for $10 or less. Consumers also can get cheap online software for Research In Motion’s BlackBerry and phones running the various mobile operating systems backed by Nokia, Microsoft, and Google. “In terms of innovation and investment…