Prediction is very difficult, especially if it’s about the future.
Neils Bohr, theoretical physicist

Considering that some folks think that 2012 might just be the last year in history, it may seem a bit pointless to try to prognosticate about tech trends for 2013. After all, if the world’s going to come to an end, who cares? On the other hand, if it doesn’t actually end we’re going to be kicking ourselves for not sharing our thoughts about the coming year. Either way, we figured it would be a good idea.

So here we go: Check out idfive’s technology and trend predictions for 2013 from this month’s whitepaper! Sean discusses social media shakeups, desktop disruptions, and higher education.

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Logically, the right answer is “No.” But emotionally, the answer is “yes,” “no,” and “maybe.” In other words, “it depends.” I know it doesn’t sound like much of an answer, but it is the right one.

In the end, the decision should be driven by a number of interconnected factors such as:

• business objective;
• target audience;
• creative direction; and
• cost of ownership.

Responsive web design is all the rage these days. Only a short few years ago, Ethan Marcotte conceived the term “responsive web design.” Much like when Jeffrey Zeldman coined “web standards” and Jesse James Garrett came up with “Ajax”, Ethan gave us common definitions that unified techniques and standards some of us had been using all along.

The coining and popularization of these terms each birthed a new round of innovation, creativity and standards in web design. And for that, both users and creators are eternally grateful.

We probably should define Responsive Design…

To learn more about responsive web design and idfive’s thoughts on business strategy behind it, please check out the rest of Andres’ Modern Web Design: Should Everything Be Responsive? at November’s idfive Whitepaper.

And while you’re at it, if you would like to receive more insightful articles written by idfive, please sign up to be a part of our mailing list.

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Seen any good TV lately?

According to a new report from Nielsen, you may have, but you’ve probably seen 8.5% less than in the past. On the other hand, there’s a very good chance (84% in fact) that you’ve watched online video. According to Nielsen, more people now watch video once a month on their computer screens than on their TVs.

Stunning stuff.

But if you’re in the TV biz, the news is even worse. According to a new report by Citicable ratings have plunged somewhere around 12% between May 2011 and May 2012. At the same time, Cable TV subscribers have decreased by several million over approximately the same time period, though broadband Internet subscriptions through cable providers are going up. As TV loses, the Internet gains.

Of course, it’s not quite that simple. Lots of people still watch broadcast TV. But if you look at the numbers and how things are changing, the shift is away from pre-programmed broadcast and towards on-demand content streamed or downloaded from the Internet.

“But that doesn’t mean TV’s dead,” some may holler. “It’s just those darn kids and their techno-gizmos watching pirated programs on the interwebs!”

To read more of Sean’s It’s the End of TV as We Know It (And We Feel Fine): Understanding TV’s New Role in Culture and Marketing and his opinion of the future of tv, then please visit June’s idfive Whitepapers.

And while you’re at it, if you would like to receive more insightful articles written by the lovely team of idfive, please sign up to be a part of our mailing list.

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Our reliance on Google, Yahoo, Bing & Aol to serve up web pages has become a debilitating disease from most people using the web today. If something doesn’t exist on the first two or three pages in our minds it probably doesn’t exist and has developed an entire industry of “experts” to help companies find there way to the top. Although there are exceptions, we often choose to explore only the first few choices provided to us. And one of Google’s latest inventions, Google Instant, is amplifying the problem.

So, what’s the problem with instant search results and algorithms that pull content based on words and phrases in web pages? Well, nothing really.

There’s another part of the equation that isn’t immediately noticed when you are searching the web or even Facebook that is plaguing the internet — personalized search results.

Aside from the links we click on, algorithms, “pandas” and spiders are the ones who help decide what our choices are on the web. Normally this is a good thing, we can find more information related to our search query that is relative to other topics, interests and sites we’ve visited in the past and Facebook’s instant personalizations of web sites can also help you identify articles your friends have read and enjoyed. However, as Eli Pariser will explain in the video below, this method of personalization can cut us off from the rest of the connected world by filtering out what it thinks we “don’t” need to see. It can exclude anything from breaking news and events happening locally or around the world.

What do you think — Does instant personalization of the web lead to better productivity or a limited view of the world? Is there a happy medium? Where should search engines draw the line?

Video originally found on Lifehacker – The Problem with Your Google Search Result Feedback Loop (and What You Can Do About It).

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My mother got a Kindle for Christmas. This the same mom who trades paperbacks with friends, still checks books out at the library, and said she didn’t think she’d like using a Kindle even though she did see it featured on Oprah. Now, flash forward to Christmas day. My mom opens her new Kindle with a puzzled look on her face…until another Oprah connection kicks in. She wants to try downloading Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations since it was Oprah’s latest book club selection. It just so happens that Amazon is running a promotion where select literary classics can be downloaded for free. And upon “buying” Great Expectations for $0.00, my mother fell in love with the Kindle. Her Kindle now includes free downloads of White Fang, The Bible, and Grimm’s Fairy Tales. She even sprung for a $2.50 download of Scrabble (also featured on Oprah).  

Even at the low end of a $2.50 download, you can bet that Amazon had a very merry Christmas indeed. For some stats on the record-breaking Kindle sales, read this article from Gear Diary. Here are some of the highlights:

•  The third-generation Kindle is now the bestselling product of all time on Amazon world wide – surpassing sales of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
• On Christmas Day, more people turned on new Kindles for the first time, downloaded more Kindle Buy Once, Read Everywhere apps, and purchased more Kindle books than any other day in history
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was the most purchased Kindle book on Christmas Day

Maybe December 25, 2010 will be looked back on as the day printed books officially started their journey to irrelevancy.

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