2004 was the year that saw the iPod blaze its trail through the technology heaven, saw Google Inc. go public and double its share price from $100 to $200, and watched the fortune of RIM (of Blackberry fame) founder Mike Lazaridis's fortunes grow still further as wireless e-mail became more and more the rule and not the exception. But what of 2005? Has a wider technology bounceback begun? At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2005 last week, the answer seemed to be a resounding: "Yes!"
As everyone who has not been living in a cave for the past 29 years knows, Microsoft is 100% devoted to changing the world.
"Most people are still not in the digital realm," said Bill Gates in his opening keynote at CES. But it is far from being the only onion in the stew. The industry-wide 'return of technology' has begun.
Even Gates himself acknowledged we stand at the threshhold of the post-PC world:
"The PC has a central role to play, in that it's where it all comes together - e-mail, instant messaging; if you want to organize your memories in a rich way, if you want to edit photos, if you want to create papers. But, it won't be the only device."
So, just case anyone doubts that the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2005 that ended yesterday in Las Vegas marked a turning-point in the geek technology market, here is a round-up of some of the week's highlights reported on this site, featuring not only Microsoft, but also Samsung, Hitachi, HP, Sun and others.
Gates In Las Vegas: On IPTV, MTV, and All things Digital
Yesterday at CES 2005 in Las Vegas Bill Gates, chairman and chief software architect at Microsoft, and Judy McGrath, CEO and chairman of MTV Networks, addressed conference attendees. Gates was talking at CES for the seventh successive year. (Continued...)
Samsung Wows CES Attendees: Handset Features Galore
Samsung introduced a number of feature-rich mobile phones at CES, which, if rolled out successfully, may close the technology gap between Korea and the US. (Continued...)
500 GB Hard Disk - World's Largest Ever - Being Launched By Hitachi in Q1
Instead of the 40 hours or so of video storage offered by a standard 80 GB hard disk in a Tivo-type digital video recorder, Hitachi is going to help manufacturers offer consumers half a terabyte of storage. That's more than 500 billion bits of data. (Continued...)
Carly Fiorina: HP Will Take the Home Media Fight To Intel and Microsoft
HP plans to offer a media hub that does not use a cable box. HP has also designed an electronic programming guide that lets consumers find and record content. A music database service will give consumers access to song titles, CD artwork, and other artist information. (Continued...)
Five years on, with notable successes such as the J2ME-enabled BlackBerry wireless handheld that has already made a billionaire of RIM founder Mike Lazaridis, developers finally now have a more consistent and capable platform to use for application development. Anyone wandering round this week's CES may be inclined to agree.
About Jeremy Geelan Jeremy Geelan is Sr. Vice-President of SYS-CON Media & Events. He is Conference Chair of the all-new International Cloud Computing Expo series, of the International Virtualization Expo series, of AJAXWorld RIA Conference & Expo series, and of the long-running SOAWorld Conference & Expo series. He's founder of Cloud Computing Journal, Web 2.0 Journal, AJAX & RIA Journal and other leading SYS-CON titles. From 2000-6, as first editorial director and then group publisher of SYS-CON Media, he was responsible for the development of all new titles and i-Technology portals for the firm, and regularly represents SYS-CON at conferences and trade shows, speaking to technology audiences both in North America and overseas. He is executive producer and presenter of "Power Panels with Jeremy Geelan" on SYS-CON.TV.
Reader Feedback: Page 1 of 2
#26
Welcome2All commented on 12 Jan 2005
The bounceback can't come soon enough so far as I am concerned. Welcome, welcome, welcome. Long may it bounce! And far.
#25
Raymond Ho commented on 12 Jan 2005
"Microsoft sets to change the world" sounds grand but the world seems to be stuck with only one choice, namely, Windows. Is it right for the end-users to pay for successive operating systems which have been the pin-cushions for hackers, who share B.Gate's vision to change the world? Mr Gate should change the backdoor loopholes in his products first before changing the world.
#24
skyperFuture commented on 11 Jan 2005
///what are some of the other characteristics of the "post-PC" world, aside from the ascendancy of Linux - anyone?///
How about the ascendancy of Skype - that's a TEXTBOOK example of an application that "Beyond the PC" now that the Web-based calling service connects with your mobile phone.
#23
quezztion commented on 11 Jan 2005
what are some of the other characteristics of the "post-PC" world, aside from the ascendancy of Linux - anyone?
#22
Back the the Future commented on 11 Jan 2005
Both RIM and Google doubled their stock price in '04 that's true, but what about the flat performance of IBM (began at 90, ended at 95) and/or HP (begun at 25, ended at 21)...will they be "bouncing back" too or are they now history?
#21
Morgaine commented on 11 Jan 2005
Technology never went away, even if there was a reduction in investment and a slowdown in markets. The reason is very simple: civilization is now so deep into technological dependency that it is quite impossible for the first world to function without its modern accoutrements. That makes any apparent breaks or slowdowns in the march of technology merely temporary and largely illusory anyway --- engineers and scientists continue doing their thing regardless of investor indifference. In adverse economic conditions, their efforts come to life in products later rather than sooner, that's all.
Technological progress has something equivalent to inertia, in that it resists any attempt to stop or even slow it down. In part this is because insight and innovation occurs more in the head than in the lab, and budget cutbacks never stopped anyone thinking. On top of that, science and technology is subject to positive feedback and exponential growth not just in scale but in number of dimensions as well, so it's no surprise that technology sees almost no slowdown regardless of the lack of helpful but non-critical investment.
#20
RIMM Has No Legs commented on 10 Jan 2005
It looks like every phone has or will have email built in. Which leaves RIM as a cell phone maker.
#19
PureCreditor commented on 10 Jan 2005
GOOG is fueled by hype, and a GMail system that is STILL in beta. Institutional investors would rarely put GOOG as part of their list of stocks, even though GOOG's initial share price is indeed targetting thouse. The iPod is not exactly the same because it's more of a portable music device such as a walkman or discman. The Blackberry is more an ugly cell phone but with hormone-enhanced SMS. Returning of technology? THAT should be judged by technology spending at the corporate level, not a couple consumer gadgets plus a overhyped stock.
#18
anon commented on 10 Jan 2005
I'm at the #1 company that provides precision A/C units for mainframes. In the mid 90's we made about 150 deluxe units a week. Sales climbed with the bubble over a period of years. We were making 550 units per week by the time the bubble burst. Sales dropped to a tenth of that when the bubble burst. The 'new' people on the shop floor have now been there for 7 years. We are now staffed for 150 again and waiting for the bounceback.
When the tech industry is starting to offer better products for more reasonable prices, I call that a bounceback.
By that standard, it's hard to say. The video card industry is looking really good right now, but so far there hasn't been all that much competition to IPod, so that just seems like an entrenchment of a single popular product (and experience suggests this leads to stagnation more than innovation). Plus, Google's stock doubling doesn't really seem to have all that much impact upon technology so much as the world of business. We get the benefits of their technology in their services, sure, but it's not like google is all of a sudden THAT much better than it's been for the past few years.
Frankly, when it comes to technology, I'd say that software is having the resurgence, not hardware. Open Source solutions are as strong and available as ever, meaning that Microsoft has had to pick up the pace in terms of the innovations it provides (or claims to, anyhow). And how spoiled are we that we can look at a game like Doom3 and be bored?
People want to pay a graduate wage to get a person with a good amount of experiance.
Some jobs demand a MCSE for things that are not even related to the qualification.
Others are just plain absurd. eg about 1.5 years ago I saw an add asking for CCNA, MCSE and 5+ years commercial experiance with .NET.
(The salary was £17-22k per year and .NET hadn't even existed for 5 Years).
If there is a revolution howabout some jobs.. go on please ;)
#13
peamasii commented on 10 Jan 2005
Not yet, although I hope they do soon. I'm sick of all the people with self-important attitudes and a blackberry on which they type all-important memos to god-knows-who.
#12
mgs1000 commented on 10 Jan 2005
Didn't RIM just lose their lawsuit and are now prevented from selling any more Blackberry products in the U.S.?
Raymond Ho wrote: "Microsoft sets to change the world" sounds grand but the world seems to be stuck with only one choice, namely, Windows. Is it right for the end-users to pay for successive operating systems which have been the pin-cushions for hackers, who share B.Gate's vision to change the world? Mr Gate should change the backdoor loopholes in his products first before changing the world.
skyperFuture wrote: ///what are some of the other characteristics of the "post-PC" world, aside from the ascendancy of Linux - anyone?///
How about the ascendancy of Skype - that's a TEXTBOOK example of an application that "Beyond the PC" now that the Web-based calling service connects with your mobile phone.
Back the the Future wrote: Both RIM and Google doubled their stock price in '04 that's true, but what about the flat performance of IBM (began at 90, ended at 95) and/or HP (begun at 25, ended at 21)...will they be "bouncing back" too or are they now history?
Morgaine wrote: Technology never went away, even if there was a reduction in investment and a slowdown in markets. The reason is very simple: civilization is now so deep into technological dependency that it is quite impossible for the first world to function without its modern accoutrements. That makes any apparent breaks or slowdowns in the march of technology merely temporary and largely illusory anyway --- engineers and scientists continue doing their thing regardless of investor indifference. In adverse economic conditions, their efforts come to life in products later rather than sooner, that's all.
Technological progress has something equivalent to inertia, in that it resists any attempt to stop or even slow it down. In part this is because insight and innovation occurs more in the head than in the lab, and budget cutbacks never stopped anyone thinking. On top of that, science and technology is...
PureCreditor wrote: GOOG is fueled by hype, and a GMail system that is STILL in beta. Institutional investors would rarely put GOOG as part of their list of stocks, even though GOOG's initial share price is indeed targetting thouse. The iPod is not exactly the same because it's more of a portable music device such as a walkman or discman. The Blackberry is more an ugly cell phone but with hormone-enhanced SMS. Returning of technology? THAT should be judged by technology spending at the corporate level, not a couple consumer gadgets plus a overhyped stock.
anon wrote: I'm at the #1 company that provides precision A/C units for mainframes. In the mid 90's we made about 150 deluxe units a week. Sales climbed with the bubble over a period of years. We were making 550 units per week by the time the bubble burst. Sales dropped to a tenth of that when the bubble burst. The 'new' people on the shop floor have now been there for 7 years. We are now staffed for 150 again and waiting for the bounceback.
aendeuryu wrote: When the tech industry is starting to offer better products for more reasonable prices, I call that a bounceback.
By that standard, it's hard to say. The video card industry is looking really good right now, but so far there hasn't been all that much competition to IPod, so that just seems like an entrenchment of a single popular product (and experience suggests this leads to stagnation more than innovation). Plus, Google's stock doubling doesn't really seem to have all that much impact upon technology so much as the world of business. We get the benefits of their technology in their services, sure, but it's not like google is all of a sudden THAT much better than it's been for the past few years.
Frankly, when it comes to technology, I'd say that software is having the resurgence, not hardware. Open Source solutions are as strong and available as ever, meaning that Microsoft has h...
cheezemonhai wrote: If there is such a bouncback where are the jobs.
People want to pay a graduate wage to get a person with a good amount of experiance.
Some jobs demand a MCSE for things that are not even related to the qualification.
Others are just plain absurd. eg about 1.5 years ago I saw an add asking for CCNA, MCSE and 5+ years commercial experiance with .NET.
(The salary was £17-22k per year and .NET hadn't even existed for 5 Years).
If there is a revolution howabout some jobs.. go on please ;)
peamasii wrote: Not yet, although I hope they do soon. I'm sick of all the people with self-important attitudes and a blackberry on which they type all-important memos to god-knows-who.
feeding frenzy wrote: It isn't just Google that indicates an upturn: more than 60 IPOs hit the market in the last 3 months of 2004 and 66 companies listed their stock during the traditionally quiet summer months. And 2004 saw the resurgence of internet IPOs, including online deep-discount retailer eCOST.com, Interchange, and Merchex.
Wall St rushed to capitalize on the momentum by bringing 20 companies publi in the week before Christmas alone.
bifmac2002 wrote: from what I've read, NTP never built a commercial application with their patents, or tried to license them before suing RIM. In my opinion, NTP aren't in the business of manufacturing anything: they're in the business of suing or threatening to sue companies to take what others have built and earned.
Have a read: this one's 99% opinion, but worth a look (www.kerton.com/papers/20030831.html)
greatldymary wrote: ///Mike Lazaridis's fortunes grow still further///
It is appearing that RIM is guilty of infringment and looking like that was even deliberate. That's a pretty ugly behavior and something I don't think wallstreet has fully realized.
Again, we will hear from the experts but my understanding is that the PTO re-exam is not because of any evidence of significant oversights but simply because the case is so important to the wireless industry that it by definition is recommended to be re-checked.
gadget kid wrote: Apart from the huuuuuuge-screen TVs, I saw: a digital camera that mixes music and photos, and systems that combine video games with exercise. I love this stuff!
Tech Bounceback wrote: Well USA Today certainly agrees with your choice of indicators: Blackbery, iPod, and Google all feature in the Top Five for 2oo5 according a recent - Dec 27 - edition (http://www.usatoday.com/money/2004-12-27-consumer_x.htm) - they even beat out JetBlue as the top consumers' picks.
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CloudBench Applications, Inc. announced its financial results for the three months and nine months ending September 30, 2009. All amounts are stated in Canadian dollars unless otherwise noted. Revenues from BasicGov, the Company's cloud computing solution for local government, gr...
The new contract is an industry first, with CSC being the first Microsoft partner to lead and win a cloud computing services agreement of this scale. Under terms of the contract, CSC will provide Royal Mail Group's 30,000 employees with access to new IT services using Microsoft's...
Operates in over 170 countries and is one of the world’s leading providers of communications solutions and services. Richard Tarboton talks for MeettheBoss.TV on his role as Head of Energy & Carbon for BT and what they are doing towards reducing carbon emissions.
CA is going to put its Agile Planner software on salesforce.com’s Force.com platform in the first half to accelerate development time and give users visibility over their development initiatives to reduce time-to-market. Customers are supposed to be able to accelerate the deploym...
Despite its uncertain fate Sun soldiers on. Monday it trotted out a cloud-based multiplatform desktop as a service for K-12 and community colleges that can run Windows, the Mac OS, Linux and Solaris applications to nearly any client device, including its own Sun Ray thin clients....
