Don't forget SpaceX will be putting the Falcon 9 rockets into use as well as beginning testing of the Dragon capsule. 2009 looks to be the year in aerospace where everyone is testing and developing, getting ready for their full operations to start in 2010-2012. Well... aerospace companies that is. NASA isn't doin jack... they can't even afford their shuttles from the 70's.

good post ID, I agree with most of it, I dont see online social networking slowing down too much myself, with the recession kicking in more people at home, online, etc.. could be wrong.

I also predict will be a great year for me .... It HAS to be.. 

Happy New year mate !

I disagree with the thought on Next-Gen consoles. Yes, it's at the proper point chronologically when compared to past data, yet the current consoles are still popular enough and selling enough that there is little incentive for the companies to move ahead and produce the next. Nintendo systems in particular cannot stay in stock, nor can PSPs (in my area) or the less expensive models of the XBox 360. Until sales begin to die down on these products, I don't see there being more than continued rumours about the following generation of consoles. I expect mid-late 2010 for the first official information with any detail more than "it's in the works."

There are new consoles coming out, the DSi [apparently a revamped version of the DS Lite, with a .3 megapixel camera, larger screen, improved audio, online store, and other features including a browser and downloadable software] for one.

So.. Nintendo, you are bringing out an even more expensive version of THE biggest dust magnet ever created..

... I guess I HAVE to get it <--- Game addict

Great list ID, but I have to disagree with you on your #1. Traditionally, the moment that news leaks from Microsoft about the release of a new version of Windows the hype machines move into overdrive and unrealistic predictions of when it will be generally available begin to get touted about.

Now, I don't blame Microsoft for this, they want people talking about their "real soon now" new product. But time after time, overzealous industry pundits will have the masses thinking that it is just around the corner, when in reality there is a long cycle of betas and release candidates ahead.

I predict that actual RTM to be summer 2010 for the hardware VARs, with actual SKUs on the shelf for Christmas that year.

Given what I've read to date, a public beta of Windows 7 will drop around the 2nd quarter of 09, with SKU's possibly hitting the shelves around Dec 09 - Jan 2010.

1. Disagree. Windows 1 is slanted for a Q2 2010 release. Microsoft has never released anything on time. So no, we're not going to see W7 this year...

2. Leaves Apple? No. Maybe kinda-retires, Bill Gates style, but never leaves.

3. This would, of course, be awesome. More server-side stuff, turning our powerhouse PCs into little more than terminals

4.  It's logical, isn't it?

5. Social Networks will never die. Some suck, some are ok, and some may slow down, but on the whole, I predict a steady increase in the clientbase.

Windows 7 will become a flop just like Vista is. Even if it is good, it is arriving in the wrong economic climate where consumers are not eager to upgrade their computers to run the latest and greatest. I see no large movements in the Mac world. Linux vendors will do good business because of cost saving efforts in the industry.

I expect 2009 will be the year we move to 64-bit. By the end of this year all new computers will be equiped with 64-bit operating systems and software vendors will jump on the opportunity to provide 64-bit versions of their software.

I have a feeling Windows 7 has a H2 2009 launch date now.

Assuming the beta goes well I fully expect to see it before Jan 2010.

I'm expecting Dec 09 to get in before the holidays/to hopefully take advantage of Xmas spending.

Furthermore, given that Windows 7 is based on Vista's coding, etc, and that much work on the new features was well underway prior to Vista going 'gold', it is safe to assume that it is more advanced than Vista at the same stage of development and less likely that its release will be delayed in same way, as often as its predecessors were.

I don't have much to comment on the list, but overall seems good.

However I disagree with one small part mentioned in no. 4 (although I don't think we'll see much info overall about next gen consoles this year).  You mentioned blu-ray but aside from Sony I don't think it will be a factor in the consoles that are created next.  I can't see MS going that direction and doubtful Nintendo(since they don't have HD this gen).  I think blu-ray is dead.  The consoles will go for more online content and more downloading in the next generation.

Yep, they have to all at least show their next gen consoles, since current ones are getting very.... crusty. Any serious gamer knows PCs are currently WAY better than consoles as far as graphics and other techs. Consoles, due to their infrequent releases, follow more of a stairstep graph as far as their technology goes... PCs due to constant upgradable parts releases are more of an even line. Consoles are behind now, and will continue to be behind in technology until a new console release, when they become much more cost effective than PCs... for awhile at least.

The way I see it two of the three companies, Sony and Microsoft, want a monopoly over home entertainment. Both companies lose large amounts of money creating and selling their systems, primarily because they hope the other side will give in and leave them with a monopoly. Each side must come out with their new next gen console, and at around the same time, to stay in the game and keep their competitor out of a monopoly.

Yet Nintendo is still cleaning both their clocks. I find it interesting that Nintendo is the only console maker who is focuses solely on videogames. Sony and MS have a million other properties, all bringing them more money than their console divisions.

By virtue of being "hardcore" gamers posting on a TBS game's website, sometimes we lose sight of the bigger picture. PCs + Wii is the powerhouse gaming combo for most of the world.

Don't think we'll see that. I don't think a next-gen console will be coming out before 2012 at the earliest.

There's really nothing a next gen console could bring at this point.

There could be a next gen Wii.

I sure hope Windows 7 arrives.  It's going to work well with touch-sensitive screens and the next .Net Framework will have a Touch API.  I am so looking forward to one of my programs throwing a "bad touch" error!    

What about OLED TVs?  Any chance sanely priced versions could start showing up in 2009?

Hehe I bet they call it the 'Uss'

I seriously don't see them coming out with a next gen Wii though. It seems to be a much different market they are selling to than MS and Sony, a market which doesn't really demand top of the line graphics and other shinies. Their market is primarily that of casual games, almost none of which could even be made to utilize the full potential of the Wii's hardware let alone a nex-gen version of the Wii. Mario Kart, Smash Bros... those are some of the Wii's bigger titles, neither is really all that graphically intense. When they made the Wii, and I'm sure they considered this, they created a system which would be for people who do not require the top of the line graphics, but prefered stylized, slightly cartoony style games; thus has been the market for many Nintendo products.

Whenever the next-next gen consoles drop, Microsoft would shoot themselves in the foot by not making a blu-ray drive standard. The only other option would be yet another console-unique format, which would hand Sony the advantage yet again. Putting a DVD drive in there is not an option - they already held back their exclusive games (and the console industry in general) to ridiculous extremes by limiting developers to their tiny DVDs (and no harddrives but that's another story).

Rumor has it it'll be called Wii HD. A far more reasonable name - which is probably why Nintendo won't call it that. Their naming department is batshit loco. (see Revolution-Wii)

Oh geez...here goes the march of the lemmings again.