2009 has been a monumental year in internet and communications technology. We’ve had Windows 7 giving us much easier and faster wireless connections, the final ratification of 802.11n wireless, USB 3 and SATA 3 and the rollout of FTTH (Fibre to the home) broadband.
What will 2009 be most remembered for? I’ve been thinking about the tech stories of the year and have found it hard to single anything out, for the simple reason that compared to previous years not only has so much happened, but so much has changed.
2009 for me though will be mostly remembered for the ‘almost rans’ the empty promises and technology that’s offered us so much but completely failed to deliver. This isn’t because of failings in the actual technology itself, but rather because of technology companies putting their financial backing in the wrong places.
Wi-Fi is an excellent example of this. As I’ve said 2009 saw the final ratification of the 802.11n standard, one that myself and many other people have been using every day for two years now. Many technology companies have been pushing ahead with 802.11n kit meaning that WiMax, the supposed next generation of wi-fi has been sidelined. It’s one thing for tech companies to plough millions of pounds into the development of new wi-fi kit and femtocells (net connected boxes that boost the mobile phone signal in your home) but in doing so they’re ignoring the simple fact that WiMax would solve all of the existing problems but is not consequently getting the funding it needs. As a result it’s going to be many long years before roll-out becomes a reality and we can all enjoy super-fast broadband and mobile communications over IP, that is available everywhere and that also works when travelling at high speed, such as on trains.
Google, of all companies, should surely be encouraging technology companies very strongly to invest in the infrastructure necessary to make WiMax a reality, let’s face it their forthcoming Chrome OS depends on it for its very survival, but even they’ve missed the boat.
It’s not just companies still backing wi-fi that are harming and delaying the implementation of WiMax, phone companies rolling out billion pound fibre networks are doing just as much harm. There needs to be a new strategy in 2010 towards integration for the benefit of society as a whole.
Then there’s the promise, and this has been something that’s been going on for a few years now, of revolutionising the desktop computer. Intel are the only company that’s really done this pushing ahead with low-power chips and, consequently and quite accidentally, creating a whole new class of computing device that can help us lower our carbon footprint while still providing us with all the power we need for day to day tasks.
But what about new hardware and BIOS architectures? I’ll be looking to build a new PC for myself in 2010 and boot time (electricity consumption) will be a major factor in the hardware I choose to buy. The problem here is that, several years ago now we were promised a whole new type of BIOS that was mouse driven, faster and more economical. Microsoft even built in support for it with Windows Vista but has it yet appeared? Has it chuff 
We’re still only able to buy slow traditional BIOS driven motherboards with code that dates back to when Compaq reverse-engineered the IBM BIOS in 1981.
Then there’s display technology. I can be a little more forgiving here as the major players are pushing ahead brilliantly with low-power devices but manufacturing limitations and cost are still keeping them away from the high street. One of the problems with this though is saturation. It didn’t bother companies that Blu-Ray laser technology cost and arm and a leg when it first appeared, they sold it anyway. Now, only two years later you can buy a Blu-Ray player for £150.
Compare this to OLED or similar display technologies. These have for a year or so now been suitable for devices such as netbooks, but they’d make them expensive. This double-edged sword means that today’s netbooks are more expensive to run and have a higher carbon footprint overall then is necessary. They should be brave enough to push ahead. The netbook market is so large now that they can afford to invest in better display screen technology for it. This can only help all of us.
So 2009 is an also ran year, a year when many technology promises just didn’t live up to their potential because the companies behind them weren’t brave enough to back the correct technologies and kept running with tried and tested for reasons of cost.
Let’s hope 2010 brings a better future for technology.
