From the WSJ comes an analysis of some of the past predictions (along with some new ones) made by technology’s big thinkers. Here’s what one can expect in the future:
Nicholas Negroponte: Grass-roots wireless services could in some ways overtake traditional telecom operators.
Lester Thurow: Biotechnology advances will radically transform our world and our bodies.
Glover Ferguson: “Insight” is the next key to competitive advantage. [Mr. Ferguson says services will become commodities, too. Insight is essentially a breakthrough analysis of a situation you keep secret and use to beat rivals. So, a bank might see a baby crib purchase on a customer’s credit-card bill and know from previous analysis the majority of people buying cribs are having their first babies. There’s a predictable progression of needs and purchases, including a bigger home, life insurance and so on. The bank can exploit that knowledge to cater to the customer. But it needs to keep the insight to itself.]
Alan Nugent: Web services will come of age.
Peter Cochrane: Customers will take over local telecommunications.
Michael Earl: The Internet will ultimately be more about information than transactions.
