Jimmy’s 2007 Predictions

1) Mobile will go nowhere. Cellphones are a horrible platform, and they’re just not compatible with how we use HTTP. Connections are slow and devices are incompatible. Mobile will go nowhere and I’m hoping in 2007 the industry finally buries this idea, or one standard finally wins out and becomes the norm. Even then, doing anything web-like on a cellphone is hell and only used when you’re bored.

2) Virb kills myspace. This is a big one, I know. They’ve got a great name (virb), and the design and programming talent to pull this off. People will leave MySpace in droves in 2007. MySpace is slow, covered in ads, spammy, and ugly. Virb will be sleek, sexy, fast, and more original. MySpace is going to be blindsided. They’ve been on top of the hill for too long and have failed to capitalize on that by making a decent website. Good riddance!

3) Mashable becomes the tech news norm. I’m predicting that this year, Pete will start to get more exclusives than Mike, and will leave his own companies off the promo list. This isn’t to say TechCrunch will fall off the map, I’m just predicting that Mashable will become more popular this year. Mike does a great job, I just think they’re pushing too many things in the wrong areas. CrunchGear ads on every TechCrunch post, dog social networks getting several mentions when no one really cares, etc.

4) The return of music. Now that Microsoft has decided to leave the playing field by putting all of it’s chips on a now-failing Zune, and record labels are starting to see the point of DRM free downloads, I think 2007 will be the start of us getting our musical freedom back. It may not be in a DRM free way, but I’m betting a very cool solution comes up this year. Something that will please the masses *and* the record labels.

5) Cell phone content opens up. Why are we paying $2.50 for a low quality piece of a song to use as a ringtone when you can buy the entire song on itunes for 99 cents? Oh yeah… greed. I forgot about that. Why do cellphone wallpapers cost $2.50? I’m betting a popular alternative to both of these appears and prices will drop, and in a lot of cases disappear. There should be free wallpaper sites available by WAP or something. Hell, I may make one myself. If I do, however, I sure won’t be using the .mobi TLD…