Delloite's 2005 predictions
Delloite which has no set schedule by which it releases predictions and reports, felt that 2005 was a "turning point" in technological innovation, and has released the predictions for the year 2005. A summary of the report:
This new study ranks 10 trends critical to the global technology industry in 2005. This year will see a number of important advances in technology, along with some major challenges, opportunities and threats. Mesh networks, nanotechnology, fuel cells, robots and quantum computing are just some of the key trends from the Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) industry group and Deloitte Research.
-Internet: As internet use continues to proliferate the web browser will become an increasingly important part of our lives — providing a standard interface for a whole host of business and consumer applications.
-Mesh Networks: Wireless mesh networks will appear in several of the world’s major urban centers, helping local authorities track equipment and assets, and allowing transportation companies to streamline services, check traffic flows and update schedules in real time.
-Nanotechnology: Technologies that enables manipulation of structures and processes at the atomic level will become increasingly mainstream, leading to a wide range of new and dramatically improved products.
-Fuel cells: Ethanol-based fuel cells will launch commercially, potentially transforming the way people use portable devices by providing flexible power that lasts for days, weeks or even months.
-Security: Electronic forms of personal identification will proliferate, mainly for security reasons, yet identify theft and other digital crimes will continue to wreak havoc. Growth in connected devices will lead to corresponding growth in computer viruses, worms and other malware. This will frustrate users and cost companies billions in downtime and lost data.
-Robots: Robots will start to become an accepted part of our daily lives, particularly for household chores and other highly specific, practical tasks. Technology development for space exploration will probably continue its shift to the private sector, providing the foundation for a new era of advancement and discovery.
-Quantum Computing: Quantum computers, which are expected to be many orders of magnitude faster than today’s fastest supercomputers, will take a few important steps closer to commercial reality. Quantum computing is still a long way off, but is almost certain to happen. And when it does, it will change everything. The full report is available here.
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