Did our tech predictions for 2012 come true?

Last year we invited some of our insider technology experts to give us their technology predictions for 2012. But did they come to pass? Let’s take a look…

The Prediction

“I predict that this year will see much further penetration of the tablet, but to the slow adopters. We’ll see a tablet on the lap of many more families watching TV at home.”

Did it come true?

With the launch of cheaper tablets than the iPad, I think we have seen a huge move towards the tablet as a primary device, and every self-respecting manufacturer has a flagship model available. Apps have become more sophisticated too, and I, for one, now feel I can travel without a laptop at all if I choose, and access everything I need on an iPad. Making bags weigh a lot less!
I also predicted we’d see an increase in Twitter as a service channel for customers, which I again think we have seen. Almost every large corporate has some kind of monitoring system on Twitter to find out what people are saying about them or discover ways to market to their followers.

Predictions for 2013?

For me, 2013 is the year for television to really embrace the internet – more so than ever before. If they have flirted with each other in the last five years, then this is the marriage proposal year. With the launch of YouView and more internet-enabled televisions going on sale, internet on your TV will no longer be something to look forward to, but a reality in many more homes across the country.
However, we’re not quite ready to click the red button to buy the car insurance we’ve just seen in an advert… it’ll take a few more years for that.
Sam Calvert, general manager, sales and offline at BT

The Prediction

“I predict that the companies who design their applications to meet the widest possible audience will get the largest market. At the heart of successful companies, such as Apple, is inclusive design.”

Did it come true?

How did I do? Well, the new range of Panasonic TVs have talking electronic programme guides (EPGs). These are great for people who have a visual impairment or are unable to read text on the screen. There are now TVs that allow people to use hand gestures to control them. For people with dexterity issues, this could make operating the TV much easier than trying to find and fiddling with a remote.

There’s been more progress around the development of apps. AbilityNet – the UK charity that helps people with different abilities access technology – recently published a list of its Top 10 Accessible Apps. Scanning down the list it’s clear to see that these apps really have the potential to make a difference to people’s lives.

Predictions for 2013?

Looking ahead, I’d like to think that 2013 will see further progress. If I’m honest, progress in 2012 has been slower than I would have liked. That said, we have do have progress – and that’s what matters. And if there is something to keep an eye on for the future how about driverless cars, just think of the boon this would be for blind people.
David Barrett, Senior Inclusion and Accessibility Manager

The Prediction

“With companies such as Apple, Microsoft and Amazon all offering cloud storage more actively to their customers, I predict that many more people will make this the year to make the switch.”

Did it come true?

Estimates put global subscribers to the cloud in 2011, when it was still in its infancy, at approximately 150 million. The number of global consumers using cloud services after the first six months of 2012 hit more than 375 million, with 500 million estimated to be using the cloud by the end of this year. So I’d say yes it did.

Predictions for 2013?

Subscriptions to either free or paid cloud services look set to climb in the future, jumping to an estimated 625 million next year, and then doubling over the course of four years to reach 1.3 billion by 2017.
Rob Holtom, head of content & portal at BT

The Prediction

“Surveillance cameras: it’s going to be a big year for affordable, reliable and smart home monitoring.”

Did it come true?

Home monitoring has been a popular product category for BT Shop in 2012, with remote access being a key feature consumers are looking for. In fact, we have seen the concept of remote access within many products to be one of the biggest trends this year. With the continued explosion of the Tablet and Smartphone market, and their subsequent apps, there are new opportunities for staying connected remotely. Big sellers have been NAS (Network Attached Storage) devices with apps to let you upload, download and stream your videos and music remotely; to the Belkin WeMo Home Automation Switch which enables you to turn electronic devices on or off from anywhere using your Smartphone. Boiling the kettle using your phone?! The future really has arrived… bring on 2013!
Caroline Hodgson, BT Shop Marketing Executive, dabs.com plc

The Prediction

“Businesses will start to offer much better content on their websites. They will realise that great content leads to more links and more links lead to a higher position in the search engines.”

Did it come true?

Partly. Bigger businesses are creating much better content for their websites and more of it. It is still the case that more (authoritative) links lead to a higher position in the search engines. Some of the smaller companies are also creating better content but the majority of small businesses do not appear to have caught on to this; this is likely to be because they have less time and resources to create new content. The volume of information also continues to grow and indeed will be joined with more personal data in the form of charts that we will want to pull information from (for example measuring health data such as exercise, calorie input, etc.).

Predictions for 2013?

Unfortunately, despite the need, the aggregation services remain fairly crude or manually intensive to set up (such as Gmail’s tags) and are not yet solving the problem of data overload or prioritisation. Hopefully 2013 will see better products and services in this area that are able to begin to intuit the intent of the user.
Sue Davis, Senior Business Development Manager, BT Websites

What are your technology predictions for 2013? Let us know below.