The state of technology…

So, here I am in Economics class, bored out of my mind, watching a horrendous video about the simplicity of the supply and demand curve. Being that the supply and demand curve is an already simple conept, and the video tries attempts to simplify it even more, my mind has started to drift a little. I’m fairly certain that most of the guys in this class are day dreaming of ten minutes alone with a not so fully clothed Jessica Alba right now, but since I’ve got her Sin ZCity poster in my little room -above my bed of all places:) -I’ve got time for that later…What am I thinking about you might ask? Well, the future of the tech market of course!

Everyone with a brain knows that the technology market explosion in the late ’90s changed a lot of lives. Unfortunately, the steep recession that followed may have changed even more, and in the few years since, Google has been the exception to an otherwise mostly stagnant market. But, alas! I think that’s about the change. The eve of Web 2.0 is upon us, millions are blogging, social networking is taking over the world -damn, MySpace is huge!-, and Apple may have finally given Microsoft a long overdue kick in the ass. The hardware side of things doesn’t look to bad either with Ipods, the flash drive crusade, next-gen videogaming, etc. Holy Shit! Being a nerd has never been cooler.

Here’s a few things that interest me…and, hopefully investors:

Users actually matter- You heard that right…Web designers have finally realized that we do exist. The future looks strong for user input/interaction online and sites like Digg, Newsvine and del.ico.ious are just the beginning. The only question remaining is, which one of the big guns are going to pioneer this movement? As of right now, all signs point to Yahoo with their acquisition of Flickr, rumored payments to Digg, and a recent buyout of the aforementioned del.ico.ious. Yahoo is definitely the company to look for to make a strong revival with what seems to be a large movement towards web 2.0. ON another interesting side point, a couple weeks ago Yahoo shares jumped around 8% due to rumors of a Microsoft buyout…

Media- Ipod, Itunes, Pandora -hopefully you’ve heard of this-, Urge, living room integration…of course I’m looking forward to media in 2006 and beyond. Will the Ipod finally get some competition? Will Yahoo Launch Radio start doing something? Will online services like Xbox Live and the not yet official PS3 online service bring media together? HD-DVD or Blu-ray? There are lots of questions that need to be answered this year and even more Corporations that want to win this developing war. It’s definitely going to be an interesting year.

Next-Gen Videogames- Not even Nintendo has been able to lead the pack for more then two generations, will Sony be able pull it off, or will fierce competition from Nintendo and Microsoft finally knock Sony off their peak? 2006 will be a great year for gaming; 2007 might be the best year ever. Hopefully, all three companies will thrive due to the ever expanding videogame market and produce fantastic products.

PC Gaming- In a little more then a year, three simple words have revolutionized PC gaming…World of Warcraft. Blizzard has finally been able to break down the MMO’s aren’t for everybody theory, and in my opinion, created what might be the best videogame experience of all time. World of Warcraft might not be anything completely revolutionary or perfect, but it’s streamlined, accessible, and as we all know, very addiciting. Gamers, prepare yourself for the onslaught of MMOs. Will any of them, besides Everquest and WoW, be able to survive?

These are just a few reasons why I think 2006 and beyond is going to be extremely rewarding for the Tech Industry and I didn’t even mention the return of entreprenuerialism! There’s plenty more out there so let me know what you think.