Top 10 Tech Predictions for 2013

So, what can tech-savvy users expect in 2013? We predict Top10 technology trends..

With so many new trends emerging every day and considering gigantic leaps in technological innovations over the last decade or so, one can safely say it will be a year to look forward to, for more reasons than one.
So, what can tech-savvy users expect in 2013. We have tried our best to list out a few predictions, which seem a certain possibility in the span of the next one year.

New-gen TV
According to Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, Apple will launch an innovative television in November, to be marketed for $1,500-2,000. "We expect the beauty of the design to be a feature, but the most important feature will be the ability to use the TV as the main interface for the living room across multiple devices," the analyst has written in a note to clients.
"We believe the TV will include Siri and FaceTime. The biggest item unlikely to come with the TV will be unbundled channels."

Chinese to the fore
A Gartner prediction states that by 2013, mobile phones would overtake PCs as the most common Web access device worldwide and by end of 2014, three of the top five mobile handset vendors would be Chinese.
"The openness of Android creates new markets for OEMs that previously did not have the necessary software expertise and engineering capabilities. Chinese vendors have the opportunity to leverage their strong position in the domestic Chinese market for entry-level smartphones and expand to other regions, because this is not just an emerging-market phenomenon."
Also, wireless network traffic is expected to reach 400 petabytes a month, by 2013. Today, the entire global network transfers 9 exabytes per month, Dave Evans, chief futurist, Cisco IBSG Innovations Practice, has said.

Apple vs Samsung: Next change
When it comes to innovation in technology, can fierce competitors Apple and Samsung be far behind? It is speculated that at the Mobile World Congress, 2013, scheduled early next year, both would showcase their new smartphones - the Galaxy S IV and iPhone 5S.
Samsung's Galaxy S IV is rumored to come with a 4.99 inch full HD Super AMOLED display, with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, while Apple hasn't given much indication of moving ahead of its Retina display.
"We can expect a number of new technology features in the new iPhone or iPhone 5S and this may include NFC, iWallet and Apple's new technology patents related to applications," says Tarun Pathak, analyst with Cyber Media Research.

Building equity on social media
About globalization of professional content on social media, Kun Gao, CEO and co-founder of Crunchyroll, Inc., a global video network for Japanese anime and Asian media, has stated on GigaOm that the act of taking premium content across borders to reach new audiences had proven to be a boon.
"It generates meaningful incremental digital dollars through subscription services; it legitimizes a content experience that previously had been dominated by online piracy; and it builds momentum for content and brand equity for the coming years."

In-memory to be in
Many in the technology domain reckon that in-memory computing would become mainstream, speeding up many processes. For instance, SAP Labs has already come up with a highly innovative solution, called HANA, which can do 'astronomic' calculations in a matter of few microseconds.
The prediction is most others would also follow suit and develop their own in-memory computing platform.

Turn a new eLeaf
Books, in the literal sense, would get more and more outdated, as eBooks are all set to take over the reins.
"One key reason is that tablets have become the No. 1 eBook reader and we will sell close to 230 million tablets in 2013. Amazon's Kindle Reader app is on just about every tablet available, this there is no lack of digital e-books readers already in the market with more coming in the future. The ease of purchasing and keeping libraries up to date on all of your digital devices is the big draw. Plus, the fact that about 1,000 books can fit on and average reader," Tim Bajarin, president of Creative Strategies, states in an article on Tech.pinions.

Tablet boom
Tablets have already caught the attention of technology geeks, but as their sizes get more compact, it just adds more value to the user.
Given the price of the 7-inch tablets, writes Bajarin, "which can be as low as $79 but most hover around $199, it is not a surprise that these sized tablets will dominate the market in 2013."
But what is not obvious is, he continues, how they will impact the PC market. "The problem for consumers with 10-inch tablets is that with a cheap Bluetooth keyboard, it is almost a mini-laptop."

Go mobile app way
Gartner has predicted that mobile app store downloads would surpass 81.4 billion worldwide in 2013.
Considering that it stands at a moderate 45.6 billion in 2012, it is going to be a big leap, especially with free downloads set to account for 90 per cent of the market.

Drive free
After the driverless car project by search giant Google, there is a lot of buzz surrounding the technology that involves several high-end cameras and an autopilot kind of a device.
So much so, the U.S. state of Nevada even passed a law on June 29 last year permitting the operation of driverless cars in Nevada and California.
Next year might just see a lot more improvisations on the technology, by Google as well as others, with it clearly pointing to the way ahead.

Rise of hacktivism
Online hacktivist group, Anonymous, has demonstrated time and again its potential in issuing threats to various governments, especially regarding curbs on Internet freedom and related issues.
It is already gaining momentum across the globe, as it is almost impossible to track down the hactivists involved in any cyber attacks. So, in all likelihood, 2013 will see more such groups and with that, more activities online.

Story first published on CIOL