2009 Tech Predictions Review

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I made 3 rather tame (or lame) tech predictions for 2009 -- none with any real relevance. Here's a recap of how I did.
  1. Apple will become less popular.
    Miss. Though a very subjective opinion, here's what happened. Throughout much of 2009 there was a lot of buzz about an Apple Tablet that never materialized, but it kept Apple in the news. Early in the year there was also a lot of buzz about Steve Jobs' health and further whether he would return to Apple or not. Upon his return, as announced, the buzz has died down. Finally, Apple received some spill over from the new Verizon ads that really trashed the AT&T 3G network. To counter some of the Apple buzz, we started seeing several Android phones (finally) ship late in the year. Overall, I don't think the buzz, and therefore popularity, died down as much as expected. On the other hand, clearly Apple was no where near as popular as they had been the two prior years with the iPhone.
  2. TWiT will lose its spot as the top tech podcast.
    Hit. I tried doing a little research on this, but it too is very subjective. But as I figured, I believe Buzz Out Loud (BOL) did pass TWiT as the top tech podcast. At the end of 2008, BOL was really hitting its stride, while TWiT had had too many episodes that rambled on too long. Mind you, I started listening, and really loved TWiT, well before I listened to my first episode of Buzz Out Loud. Early in 2009, Molly Wood had announced she's leaving BOL as a regular host, and I thought that this prediction would miss too. Further, I don't think BOL is the best platform to showcase Nateli Del Conte's talents (ironically, I think Nateli did a great job on TWiT). But to my delight, BOL started rotating through many great regulars and a few guest talents, which has led to a great show.
  3. Nateli Del Conte will move back to the Silicon Valley.
    Miss. Not really a tech prediction per say, but rather a prediction of a tech personality. What can I say, Nateli made a move to NYC that would be difficult for anyone, and she always appeared much more happy when visiting the Bay Area. As I referenced in the prior prediction, I thought early in the year, things got even more difficult for her as she became a regular host on BOL. But with another year past, Nateli has proven that she's very resilient and she's still in NYC. Congratulations Nat!
Well I was 1 of 3 for my 2009 predictions. I have 5 predictions cued up for 2010 -- watch for that post coming soon.

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