Business Technology: The Year in Review
It is that time of the year when we look back at what we lost, what we gained, and most importantly what we learned.
In 2011 we said goodbye to and . and presented a warning of proper social media etiquette. , which could still trickle down to small businesses.
Over the year we learned that , and that when it arrives next year.
In 2011 , while the new data buzz words are (or at least will be) .
Those are obviously all topics I had covered throughout the year.
For the small and home based office worker technology continued to move forward, as , and !
Besides these big stories, however, has anything really changed that much in 2011? Were there any seriously significant changes in the world of small business technology? Looking back, nothing such as when DOS begot Windows in 1995 with Windows 95 (not the most original naming schemes back in those now seemingly ancient times), or when the iPhone arrived in 2007.
Yet there are changes all the time. Every time we upgrade a browser the world does change a bit, as it is just different from what we used, say, yesterday (which is why I’ll said it again, ).
In many cases it isn’t that hard to go back and see what it was like – with computers, anyway.
Every time I boot up an old computer the uses an older OS or even just an older browser it is sort of akin to going back in time. Sadly, that won’t bring back Jobs or Ritchie, while I’m sure Weiner wishes he could truly go back and undo what he did! No, the world moves forward as always. And while we can see old films and TV shows that remind of the way things were, our old devices do a good job of that right at home or at the office.
And it is all around us wherever we go. As I flew home from a business trip this week, my last for 2011 – but of course the 2012 business travel season is just three weeks away – I noted that very few people had laptop out. I saw more tablets and ereaders. I saw no portable DVD players – talk about a business that burst. For the record I had a hardcover book as I’m trying to start the retro paper movement – more on that in 2012.
So I look back on 2011 and think of the changes. 2012 will be the real start of the post-Steve Jobs era. He won’t be there to introduce any new devices. It will also be seen if Windows 8 is the cat’s meow (an old 1920s term) or a replay of Windows Vista. Additionally, Thailand will recover and following shortages and higher prices we’ll see a sharp dropoff as the competitors face renewed competition. And Google will continue its path towards world domination (as predicted on the recent holiday themed episode of The Simpsons).
Yes, there is much to look forward to with 2012. But let’s take a moment to remember that 2011 was another interesting year in the world of business technology. Hopefully if we take nothing else from this look back, we’ll think more about security, use better social networking etiquette, and embrace the time we have.
