What do you think is likely to be 2011's biggest gadget or tech release ?

[MrX8503]

I think we'll have some heavy hitters this year, but specs alone isn't gonna cut it. We already know this with the current iPad/iphone4. These devices aren't exactly powerhouses, but theyre still widely popular.

It's all about usability and mass appeal.

 

[OBLAMA2009]

It'll be zero because there will not be an LTE iPhone 5. Apple always waits until a new tech has settled before jumping in. They will do like they did with 3G and wait. Neither company has a large LTE footprint yet.

the market is too big and competitive now though. verizon nearly has lte in place in most big cities. i doubt theyre gonna want to wait until the middle of 2012

 

[Judgement]

My prediction:

This year will be boring compared to 2k12 -- hopefully by then we have laws in place to keep Verizon and AT&T from circle jerking each other on data plan pricing

We will have progress this year, but with lots of smart phone adopters already in place, the stuff released this year will, while better than whats out now, will not be worth the out of this fucking world new conditions verizon and AT&T want to lock ppl into

iPad 2 will sell a shit ton, so will the new iphone -- but they dont really provide anything new

IMO we have at least 2 years before a new serious revolution - Microsoft and Nokia arent gonna catch up and this year's "bill everyone for tethering" "data cap everything" shit is OK now, but when everyone owns 3 ipad, 1 for each TV in their house, etc... that shit wont fly

OK.. I'm dreaming INC more metered billing for shit I am alreadying paying more for now than I was when it came out over half a decade ago

 

[ew915]

I don't know what will be the biggest hit but i think the biggest flop will be the laptop dock for the Motorola Atrix, anyone remember mega cd for the genesis?

 

[OBLAMA2009]

My prediction:

This year will be boring compared to 2k12 -- hopefully by then we have laws in place to keep Verizon and AT&T from circle jerking each other on data plan pricing

We will have progress this year, but with lots of smart phone adopters already in place, the stuff released this year will, while better than whats out now, will not be worth the out of this fucking world new conditions verizon and AT&T want to lock ppl into

iPad 2 will sell a shit ton, so will the new iphone -- but they dont really provide anything new

IMO we have at least 2 years before a new serious revolution - Microsoft and Nokia arent gonna catch up and this year's "bill everyone for tethering" "data cap everything" shit is OK now, but when everyone owns 3 ipad, 1 for each TV in their house, etc... that shit wont fly

OK.. I'm dreaming INC more metered billing for shit I am alreadying paying more for now than I was when it came out over half a decade ago

thats what im worried about, when people start getting more devices, instead of giving everyone a single account to log in all their devices as with broadband, they will instead deal with it by metering everything

 

[OBLAMA2009]

I don't know what will be the biggest hit but i think the biggest flop will be the laptop dock for the Motorola Atrix, anyone remember mega cd for the genesis?

itll be a hit just not at 500. theyll have to clear the out at some point like they did with the droid docks, which are $15 now

 

[ultimatebob]

What Android 3.0 tablets in the 300 range?

They have been announced yet, but trust me... they're coming.

 

[Pliablemoose]

2010 will be hard to top

Tons of high performance Android phones, and it started with the Nexus 1.

The iPad was released, senior Jobs proved he had the balls to put out something that was "doomed to failure" and made Apple a metric ton of $.

Sprint started the "4G" ball rolling.

First Android tablets started to show up.

2011 is going to be pretty boring after 2010.

We're just going to see refinements of existing stuff, faster phones, LTE rollout, updated iPhone/iPad, updated/faster Android tablets.

 

[Oyeve]

You guys and your apple this and android that. The biggest thing will be the Nintendo 3ds man.

 

[Patranus]

They have been announced yet, but trust me... they're coming.

You forget the fact that while they are releasing generation 1 products Apple is releasing their 2nd generation products.

While Google is releasing the first version of Android specifically for tablets, Apple is releasing their second version.

You can't underestimate the advantage of being a year a head of the market and able to build off customer feedback.

 

[zerocool84]

You forget the fact that while they are releasing generation 1 products Apple is releasing their 2nd generation products.

While Google is releasing the first version of Android specifically for tablets, Apple is releasing their second version.

You can't underestimate the advantage of being a year a head of the market and able to build off customer feedback.

A year head start of course gives them a huge advantage. It gave the iPhone a great advantage but like we`ve seen, if you have a good enough product you can still compete very well. We obviously don't know how good these upcoming tablets are so we can only speculate.

 

[Mopetar]

In reality, probably the iPhone 5.

What I'm most interested in: MeeGo tablets.

 

[Oyeve]

Really, 3ds.

 

[Pliablemoose]

I had high hopes for the Xoom, now not so much, since Moto seems to be tied to the carriers, Apple's willingness to piss off carriers has been a golden move for them, in releasing a useable tablet, and selling it from their website and through major retailers.

Samsung has yet to release a WiFi Galaxy Tab, but has managed to release it on all of the major carriers. I fear we'll see the same thing with Moto's tablet. Moto doesn't really have any distribution channels outside of the carriers.

Out of all the gadget heads here, how many of us bought Galaxy Tabs? Very few.

 

[Spicedaddy]

I agree, locking people in 2 year plans for tablets is retarded. Most just want to use them around the house, and if you want to carry it around just use WiFi hotspot from your smartphone.

A WiFi only tablet with a 9 inch 1280x720 screen for 300$... I'd buy that instantly.

 

[Kaido]

I'd have to say the iPad 2. Mostly because of the addition of the camera, which is really just an incremental upgrade.

This is my question, as well - what IS next? 2011 is obviously the year of the tablet, but take a look at Apple's landscape in a general consumer POV. They have:

1. Desktops for my desk
2. Laptops for my backpack
3. iPads for my couch
4. iPhones for my pocket
5. AppleTV for my television
6. Airport Expresses for multi-room music
7. Time Machines and Airport Extremes for networking and network storage

I don't have any more places to put things! As of last year, everything else is in an incremental upgrade stage - the iPad is getting a camera, the laptops are getting ultra-thin (Macbook Airs), the iPhones are getting faster (4G), and so on and so forth.

My big question is simply, what is the next big device? I've replaced so many of my gadgets with software - for example, my iPhone now acts as my cell phone, my Garmin GPS, my MP3 player, my remote control (Sony Bluray remote, HTPC remote), my Gameboy, my point & shoot camera, my Flip pocket camera, my alarm clock, my voice recorder for notes - the list goes on and on.

I love hardware and gadgets make me happy, but I have a hard time seeing what the next widget will actually be. Computers have reached a point where they were pretty dang good between Windows 7 and Snow Leopard, when combined with a Core i7, an SSD, and 8 gigs of RAM (> $1000). I just set my dad up with a new Engineering rig that has 24 gigs of RAM ($190 shipped) and a 28" LCD monitor ($249). Technology is in an awesome state of affairs right now, but - what's next?

What's next? That's the question I want answered :hmm:

 

[Lumathix]

I'm thinking iPad 2 or iPhone 5.

This unfortunately.

Not that I think either device is not cool. It's just I would like to something truely innovative come out.

 

[Pardus]

Atari 3600

 

[KL70]

With regards to Android smart phone, why have Google so far done such an abysmal job marketing it in the US and overseas, as they should be heavily running TV, radio and print media ads for it. They should also release their own tablet device, that'd vastly improve what the fairly rushed iPad 1 got wrong.

 

[OBLAMA2009]

it will definitely be iphone5 and ipad2. if youve ever walked by an apple store when they release new products its ridiculous, people camping outside, four block lines etc...nothing like that happens for any other tech product

 

[phillyTIM]

iPad 2, definitely. Only possible eclipse could be a refresh to the iPad in the fall (iPad 2.5/3?), rumored to get Apple in line for Christmas sales.

 

[Pliablemoose]

http://techcrunch.com/2011/02/09/video-inq-facebook-phone/

http://gizmodo.com/#!5754155/the-facebook-phone-inspired-by-stormtroopers-and-wall+es-girlfriend

The Facebook phone.

They're saying it's teenage cheap, like $50 subsidized, maybe $250 unsubsidized.

I'm still not sure about this one, massive failure or disruptive as hell, Facebook is massive, but I don't know if a dedicated phone will sell.

 

[zerocool84]

http://techcrunch.com/2011/02/09/video-inq-facebook-phone/

http://gizmodo.com/#!5754155/the-facebook-phone-inspired-by-stormtroopers-and-wall+es-girlfriend

The Facebook phone.

They're saying it's teenage cheap, like $50 subsidized, maybe $250 unsubsidized.

I'm still not sure about this one, massive failure or disruptive as hell, Facebook is massive, but I don't know if a dedicated phone will sell.

I've never heard of INQ but if they can provide a decent Facebook experience for people, then it could be a big hit since like you said and everyone knows, Facebook is practically the biggest thing in the world right now. They just need to not kill it like they did the Kin with data.

 

[Phokus]

http://techcrunch.com/2011/02/09/video-inq-facebook-phone/

http://gizmodo.com/#!5754155/the-facebook-phone-inspired-by-stormtroopers-and-wall+es-girlfriend

The Facebook phone.

They're saying it's teenage cheap, like $50 subsidized, maybe $250 unsubsidized.

I'm still not sure about this one, massive failure or disruptive as hell, Facebook is massive, but I don't know if a dedicated phone will sell.

I'm sorry but that interface looks like complete ass.

 

[Munky]

You forget the fact that while they are releasing generation 1 products Apple is releasing their 2nd generation products.

While Google is releasing the first version of Android specifically for tablets, Apple is releasing their second version.

You can't underestimate the advantage of being a year a head of the market and able to build off customer feedback.

Considering how Apple's 4th gen iphone is still lacking capabilities found in other smart phones since 2006, I'm not too worried about Apple's so-called head start. But as long as there are people who will buy anything with a fruit logo, Apple will sell a bunch of products no matter what.