The New Year is upon on us, and we’re sure that just like us, you’ve been seeing lots of predictions about what will happen in 2013. We’ve been collecting the most interesting predictions in realms of technology and media. Here are what we think are some of the best and most interesting ones.
1) The End of Single-Use Consumer Technology (via Washington Post)
– On the heels of a recent Accenture study on consumer demand, the Washington post released an interesting article this week on the potential death of the iPod, digital camera, and DVD player. As expected, the rise of the multi-use tech product (smartphones, iPads, etc.) has brought the decline of the single-use product (cameras, music players, etc.). Makers of these single-use products have been trying to play catch up with multi-use products for a while now by trying to integrate additional features (Internet, phone capabilities) into their products, so we’d have to agree with this prediction.
2) Apple to Launch iRadio? (via BTIG)
Investment research boutique BTIG is known for its both thoughtful and provocative predictions for the technology and media industries. They released their 2013 list this week – and among their predictions was the launching of iRadio by Apple. BTIG expects this to be fully integrated into the iTunes iOS app, and may even include the ability to buy tickets to events. The move into the internet radio space seems like a natural next step for Apple, and the overhaul of iTunes in late 2012 definitely signifies that Apple is looking to do big things in the music space.
3) Social data begins to influence decision making in the entertainment industry (via The Next Web)
– 2012 was a big year for advertisers using social media. And the recent partnership between Twitter and Neilsen only solidifies the likelihood that the future of advertising will be based heavily on social data. But what about the entertainment industry? The Next Web suggests Hollywood could and should use social data do make decisions regarding characters, storylines, and even production decisions. This would certainly change the game for the industry, and although the idea of using this data to decide content sounds pretty cool right now, we’re not sure how well it will fly with fans.
4) Streaming Services Shakeout (via The Music Void)
– 2012 was rife with controversy over the viability and monetization of major streaming services like Spotify. But what about all the little guys out there? The Music Void predicts that in 2013 the streaming industry will see a major purging of the smaller, less successful services. In turn, we will see the rise of the larger, more sustainable services like Spotify and Deezer. Other contenders named for success were Rdio and Xbox Music.
5) Advertisers to Pursue Mobile-First Strategy (via Mashable)
– Facebook and Google both saw huge revenue growth this year from mobile ad products and eMarketer predicts that in 2013 mobile ad spending will triple to nearly $4 billion. The continued rise of the smartphone and improvement of mobile –specific ads will only fuel this growth, and we should definitely expect to see advertisers to start viewing the mobile space as a top priority in the New Year.
Next week we’ll delve deeper into some of the newest gadgets. Tune for our annual CES (Consumer Electronics Show) roundup from PMG’s Tommy Hadges!