Tech on the Edge

From a Popular Mechanics article on top tech terminology for 2013 -

Cognitive Radio - Not so much a new kind of radio, but a way of identifying and using the small bits and pieces of radio frequency available locally in order to push more data faster than current Wifi applications.  There's a test market that's using cognitive radio technology for mobile broadband and VoIP (Voice over IP) applications. 

Basically a smarter way to make more efficient use of small unused gaps in existing radio spectrum devoted to TV, radio, and other applications (known as white space) - and bypassing the problems inherent in needing to find and reserve a block of scarce spectrum for new services.  Could lead to a big boost in mobile broadband and TV Everywhere applications.

Targeted Tweets - Social media is public - and can be data mined.  This new "tech" refers to the ability of advertisers and others to automatically scan posts for key target audience elements, and then sent you highly targeted ads/offers.

IGZO Displays - replacing the flat back plane of current LCD displays with a printed iridium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) semiconductor on a flexible surface, you can get more pixels for your screen while using less electricity - so sharper images and longer battery life for mobile devices.  They're already getting more pixels per inch than Apple's retina displays.  Expect to see them available on smartphones later this year.

Single Board Computers - not quite a computer on a chip, but with standardized interfaces you can plug it into (or build it into) a digital TV, add a keyboard/mouse, some cheap memory (SD cards) and you're good to go (for about $25).  Maybe not so big a deal in the West, but it could finally make computing affordable and ubiquitous in the rest of the world..

Source - The 10 Tech Terms to Know in 2013, Popular Mechanics

PC Market Shrinks

The market for PCs (personal computers) has been in a decline recently, and analysts fear that the slump will continue.

"Consumers are less interested in spending on PCs as there are other technology product and services, such as the latest smartphones and media tablets that they are purchasing. This is more of a trend in the mature market as PCs are highly saturated in these markets," Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner, said in a statement.

David Daoud, research director for personal computing at IDC, said the troubles besetting the PC industry are numerous, particularly in the United States.

"The U.S. market suffered a double-digit contraction in the second quarter as market saturation and economic factors combine with anticipation of Windows 8 and other changes later in the year," Daoud said in a statement. "In this context, consumers are delaying purchases, and vendors and retailers are slowing down their PC activities to clear existing inventories. The situation is exacerbated by consumer notebook saturation, a slowing replacement cycle in the commercial sector, and the big macro-economic and political events affecting confidence and spending."

I'm not sure that Windows 8 will be the answer for the U.S. market - or an economic recovery.  In the U.S., the market is saturated, and processing power has been high enough for years to do the kinds of things that the vast bulk of users are interested in.  For most, improving you computing set-up is focused more on portability (accessibility and connectivity), network connection speeds, and storage capacity.  With terrabyte-capacity portable hard drives falling well under $100, and a plethora of connected devices, I think those looking to upgrade are looking in other directions.  I also haven't heard anything about Windows 8 that's likely to drive replacement demand, although knowledge that it's coming soon may well encourage some purchasers to delay their purchases so that they don't have to pay for updating their OS.

The boom has shifted to mobile computing - PCs still serve a major role, particularly in business sectors, and that should keep overall demand steady, or at least slow down the decline.  At least in the absence of some major improvement in technology to drive wholesale replacement of existing devices.

Source  -  Slumping PC Sales Ripple Through Tech Industry,  CIO Insight

Great Moments in PC history

Just for fun - Great Moments in PC History, Byte

IBM Exec - End of PC Era?

"My primary computer now is a tablet," Mark Dean, now the CTO of IBM's Middle East and Africa unit, wrote in a blog post. "When I helped design the PC, I didn't think I'd live long enough to witness its decline. But, while PCs will continue to be much-used devices, they're no longer at the leading edge of computing. They re going the way of the vacuum tube, typewriter, vinyl records, CRT and incandescent light bulbs."
He added that it's not so much the computing power of new technologies like tablets and smartphones are supplanting the PC, but that these new devices are encouraging new ways of working and communicating.

"These days, it's becoming clear that innovation flourishes best, not on devices but in the social spaces between them, where people and ideas meet and interact. It is there that computing can have the most powerful impact on economy, society and people's lives."

The important thing here for media and journalism is the vision expressed - the continuing expansion of more mobile connectiveness and use, and the continued growth of social computing activities.  Media and journalists should be thinking about how to take advantage of this shift.

Source: "IBM Exec: The End of the PC Era is Here",  eWeek.com