Technology that will still suck in '07

By Brendon Chase | 2007/01/16 09:39:45

Tags: technology, predictions, suck, 2007

As another year begins I thought I'd compile a short list of technology I think will still suck in 2007.

Mobile phone coverage – What? I can’t hear you. Hello? Okay I can hear you now. No, not now...How about I just call you later on a landline.

Broadband – In our sunburnt country we call 256kbps broadband, include caps of 200MB per month, and charge through the nose for any extra bandwidth by the MB.

Linux Desktop (for non-geeks) – Vista will launch this year and it won’t come cheap. Linux is free, gives users a lot more control over their data, and will work well on a range of hardware – but it won’t get through to the masses. I can’t decide whether it’s the Linux desktop that will still suck in 07 or the end users who will fork out for Microsoft and Apple this year. I guess it’s a little from column a and a little from column b.

Home networking for non-geeks – Over the Christmas period I was asked to help set up some friend’s and family’s network. Connecting two computers together, connecting to a wireless router, and setting up a secure home network on Windows is too difficult for the average punter.

Online shopping in Australia – Besides eBay and iTunes I can’t remember buying anything else online in Australia in 06. I doubt this will change in 07 unless a serious retailer like Amazon land on our shores or someone like Harvey Norman or Dick Smith take online retailing seriously.

CRM integration projects – As a programmer you’ll still be fixing these projects in 07 and reprogramming them in 08 to "align business with IT".

Digital Television in Australia – Besides the ABC and SBS’s second channels who cares?

Standards compliance – Companies will continue to ignore open standards and we’ll see the VHS vs Beta history play out again and again in the way of browser incompatibilities, Microsoft Office 07 incompatibilities, digital music format incompatibilities, Blue Ray vs HD DVD, and so on.

DRM – Digital rights holders will continue to annoy consumers and customers with DRM. They’ll deter some but many will try and break the DRM and do what they want with items they’ve bought.

e-tax, e-tags, e-mail... -- anything starting with e- will surely still be cumbersome and annoying it seems.