Tech Manifesto

Windows Vista is released to mediocre fanfare. “Too little, too late” will be the cry from hardcore geeks. Newbies will be just as content with Windows XP, as too many of them are still stuck on dial-up (and not broadband). Its UI and general usability will only prove to be a minor improvement over Windows predecessors.

Firefox overtakes Internet Explorer (and its ilk) as the dominant Web browser, registering at least 50% of the visits to the average Web site. Even more people will download Firefox after trying IE7 for the first time.

Traditional PC users begin to look at Apple hardware more seriously with its integration with the Intel platform. Windows software will run better on Apple’s hardware, but not vice versa (if at all). Style wins.

iTunes inks dozens of exclusive digital redistribution deals that put all other media players to shame (and shove them further into obsolescence); an iTunes media subscription service is also rolled out, making it more cost-effective for mass consumption. If something isn’t iPod-compatible, it’s just not worth buying anymore.

Google’s stock crashes and sends the industry into a plunge almost overnight. The idea of “Web 2.0” diminishes like a fart in the wind, with users more in need of steady income rather than venture funding.

The window between a movie’s theater debut and subsequent DVD release is shortened to a month or less. On the spot, some establishments give patrons a DVD of the movie they came to see - as well as offer popcorn to everyone for free.

A new U.S. mobile service provider springs up and offers unlimited calling from any phone for a flat rate. People flock to it in droves, forcing existing competitors to fight each other fairly or die in the process.

WinRAR overtakes WinZip as the “favorite” compression utility for lazy Windows users, largely due to its less-restrictive unregistered policies (not to mention, its inherent support for RAR and ISO formats).

Television networks begin to simulcast programming on the Internet, making them available for download (wrapped in a non-invasive DRM bubble) - thereby bypassing archaic mechanisms of tracking and relying on much more significant and valid digital results. Posted on Lockergnome.