Tech Predictions for 2014 - PC killin' Tablets and Wearable Computers, Personal Drones and Autonomous Vehicles Hydrogen Fuelled Cars

It’s the end of the Year and time to do something I hate; List the Best of the Best in certain Product Categories and come New Years in 2014 predict the Future. So far my prediction on 3D printing have been spot as stated in my blog article entitled “Tech Predictions of 2013 - 3D Printing and smaller smartphones”. 

My prediction of AR (Augmented Reality) making Smartphone’s smaller is still developing as Google Glass is showing Early signs of being that product as stated in my blog article entitled “Google Glass partners VSP Global to make them more fashionable and thus mainstream - A perfect replacement for the Smartphone that’ll see many Americans Frozen staring in space”.

So what’s stirring in the future as shown in my Tea Leaves for 2014?

PC’s are Dying – Steve Jobs “Post-PC Era” Continues as Wearable Computing ramps up

Things are not so great for the PC World though, as the march towards Wearable Computing is proceeded by a Trending Towards Tablets, which analyst Canalys expects to eventually account for 50% of global sales in 2014 as stated in “Tablets to carve out nearly half of PC market next year”, published November 26, 2013 5:31 AM PST by Lance Whitney, CNET News.

This trending, yet another Prediction of mine, is now killing off everything from the Mouse to the Printer as noted in my Geezam Blog article entitled “How the Apple iPad killed Ultrabooks, Printing and the Mouse as the World Rediscovers Tablets”.

It also paves the way for Wearable computing devices such as Google Glass to replace smartphones by 2015 as prognosticated in my blog article entitled “Google Glass partners VSP Global to make them more fashionable and thus mainstream - A perfect replacement for the Smartphone that’ll see many Americans Frozen staring in space”.

I’m basing my prediction on the stats of analyst IDC who have projected a 10.1% decline in PC sales i.e. traditional Laptops and Desktops) in 2013 and a continued decline in 2014 as stated in “PC market expected to post steepest decline ever in 2013”, December 2, 2013 5:25 PM PST by Steven Musil, CNET News. This despite predictions by Gartner analyst Tracy Tsai of PC Sales slowing in the Third Quarter of 2013, “PC sales to bottom out, says analyst”, published November 19, 2013 5:53 AM PST by Lance Whitney, CNET News.

Gartner analyst Tracy Tsai may be observing the Heisenberg Uncertainty created by the Christmas Shopping Rush due to the deals it creates – because most big spenders are avoiding PC and Tablets, forcing the retailers to literally sell them at cost price to clear inventories for the New Year. So yes, sales of PC’s and Laptops are slowing; bad news for them but great news for budget shoppers looking for a good Laptop or PC!

Personal Drones coming in 2014 – Amazon PrimeAir a sign of Things to Come 

Amazon planned introduction of Drones to deliver 5 lb packages to purchases living within 10 km of their fulfillment centers within 30 minutes is probably the biggest end-of-the-year announcement I’ve ever seen as reported in my blog article entitled “Amazon plans to launch Amazon PrimeAir, their 30 minute Drone Package Delivery Service for Amazon Prime users - Playing Catch-up as Mailpak launches DealBug in Jamaica”.

Drones are finding a myriad of uses even in so-called Third World countries that don’t have hang-ups about Government surveillance as we don’t have Espionage worries like our American counterparts. So Skycam Jamaica Aerial and Video Photography business flourishes in Jamaica as stated in my Geezam blog article entitled “Skycam Jamaica Aerial Photography marks possible Revival of Package Delivery in the Jamaica Postal Service”.

China and even Australia have beaten the US of A towards this idea of Drones used for delivering packages as stated in my blog article entitled “SF Express Drones in China Deliver Cake and Zookal Drones deliver Rental Textbooks - How Drones and smartphones in Jamaica can revive the Postal Service via Personal One-Day Delivery Service”.

This will proliferate despite Law-enforcement fears of surveillance and even people taking them as Target Practice! Improved Armament, higher flight ceilings and faster flying speeds will make them safer to fly and a little harder for idle minded folk to shoot down!

So expect more innovation and civilian uses being found by so-called Third World Countries who are a lot less paranoid for drones, such as those listed in the article “Five Nonlethal Uses For Drones Aside From Amazon Deliveries”, published 12/02/2013 @ 4:21PM by Brid-Aine Parnell, Forbes Magazine.

Autonomous Hydrogen Fuelled Cars –  2014 Hyundai Tucson and Volvo start this trend

The launch of the 2014 Hyundai Tucson is indication of thing to come in the Auto industry as it relates to All-Electric Vehicles as predicted in my blog article entitled “2014 Hyundai Tucson SUV to be launched as world's first mass Produced Hydrogen Vehicle - PEM Fuel Cells using Water is The Best Man Holiday for the Hydrogen Economy”.

Hyundai plans to release a commercial fleet of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Cars by 2015, beating even the American company Ford and General Motors with a design based on Range Extender Technology as stated in my blog article entitled “Ford ,Dailmer AG and Nissan Motors Develope All-Electric Vehicles powered by Hydrogen Fuel Cell Range Extender Technology - Fast and the Furious 6 Open Architecture Ender's Game for Hydrogen”.

Albeit automation in Motor vehicles has been long in coming with the main pioneer being Volvo et al SARTRE (Safe Road Trains for the Environment) Project as explained in my blog article entitled “Volvo Testing Autonomous Motor Vehicles in Spain in Live Traffic - EU Project SARTRE adds self-driving AI with smartphone Control”, the equipment to do it has always been there.

Commercial vehicles featuring these two (2) Technologies will deliver the ultimate dream of a zero-emission All-Electric Vehicle that drives itself and lives up to Volvo’s vision of a future where road accidents are a thing of the past as the vehicle does all the work.

It’s thus not hard to imagine people refueling their vehicles at home using their own Hydrogen Refueling Stations made from electrolysis of Distilled Water and vehicle that can be sent on their own to fetch the children and carry them safely home…or wherever they may want to go. As the AI will be a licensed designated Driver by late 2014 and early 2015!

More coming in 2014 but I won’t sweat the small stuff

These are my Big predictions for 2014! There are other minor stuff I’d love to predict, such as Tessanne Chin winning “The Voice” and Ishawna and Denyque entering “The Voice” in 2014 as stated in my blog article entitled “Tessanne Chin now in the Top 6 in The Voice - Reggae Patios Song proves Americans Love her Underneath it All as Team Adam and #TeamBreadandButter sets up a Shelly Ann Fraser 1-2-3 finish”.

But that future is as yet to be written and it’s outside the scope of this article, albeit it deserves mentioning as she’s already made Jamaica proud! Stay tuned to this blog in 2014 as these watershed prediction come to pass!