MaRS

Consumers turn to the Kindle

A new year, a new set of technology predictions from Deloitte. Last Wednesday, Deloitte unveiled their annual TMT (technology, media and telecommunications) predictions for 2010 at MaRS and looked back on how their 2009 predictions fared.

Most notable of their 2009 predictions were the rise of netbooks, social networks, smart phones and 3D in theatres and on TV (think Avatar and all the new 3D electronics from Sony and Samsung among others at CES 2010). They were also awfully close on their prediction that one in 10 newspapers in the US would die in 2009 – the actual statistic was one in 12.

This year, the theme was “good enough becomes better than perfect” – meaning that we still want our data anywhere and anytime, but we want to access it economically (and we don’t necessarily need the best device to do it).

So what does Deloitte think that 2010 has in store for technology?  Here’s a sampling from their Top 10 Canadian TMT Predictions for 2010:

3D everywhere at CES 2010

This year I had the good fortune of being able to get out to the 2010 International CES, the world’s largest tradeshow for consumer technology. Set amidst the expansive Las Vegas Convention Center, some 20,000 new products are on show to a global audience of geeks, buyers, analysts and media luminaries. While one gets a little toxic immersing oneself in four days of meetings, conference sessions and tradeshow booths, this year did not disappoint. A lot of “stuff” got launched this year, from 3D technology, mobile DTV, tablets, netbooks, eReaders, health apps, connected TVs, embedded Internet technologies and new green technologies. Here’s some ramblings (and rants) that capture some of the technologies and trends that caught my attention.

Click to watch the video now

Build an Ontario Cleantech industry, cut urban carbon emissions by a half, and it won’t cost a dime. Sound like I’m selling Florida swamp-land? Hold your fire. This is the real deal.

All of these lessons come from my own project: The Planet Traveler hostel, at 357 College, where we’re building the greenest hotel in North America. That means: 75 per cent reduction in energy use from business as usual. And we’re doing it by economic argument alone (ie, we’re making money being green). We got no subsidies, no grants. If we can do it, anyone can.

The advantages of technology

It’s no surprise that computers and technology have become an essential element of our lives. Technology has shifted our primary method of acquiring information and dispersing it, transforming how we interact with the world and how the world interacts with us. Accessible and intuitive, computers have literally connected us to the world. Now, at our fingertips we have the ability to learn a new language, educate ourselves on current events and global issues, and even find remedies to illnesses. Having access to this means education and technology is a privilege we take for granted.

Last month, I attended a speech by Harvard University Professor Calestous Juma outlining the dire need for improved economic development strategies and plans for survival in the global south. His solution: education with the integration of technology. So what does this mean for you?

Is there a chasm?

In his blog post of January 13, my colleague Charles Plant questioned the existence of a “chasm” in the development of technology markets as originally described Geoffrey Moore in Crossing the Chasm. Charles offered three arguments in support of his position:

1. That business strategy is now driving technology
2. That the “roles” of the early adopter and visionaries have changed because they have similar objectives.
3. That social media is accelerating the speed with which information is distributed and thus eliminating the “pause” in market development which is The Chasm.

My position is that The Chasm is alive and well but, unfortunately, still not well understood by the technology community. Let me explain by addressing the above concerns as they relate to market development.