2012: big year in hi-tech

"The main focus will be on Apple, as the market waits to see what it produces in a world without Steve Jobs," Goldstuck says.

"The next iPhone, version 5, will certainly be released, but will it live up to the groundbreaking impact of its predecessors? The next iPad, too, or rather iPad 3, will also see the light, and will tell us much about continued innovation at Apple." By this time, Goldstuck adds, competitors will have had two years to catch up. The one arena in which apple has failed dismally has been price. "If [Apple competitors'] 2012 devices both take technology higher and prices lower, Apple CEO Tim Cook will have to find Jobs-like inspiration to keep Apple ahead," he says.

Talking of data, Goldstuck says that the West Africa Cable System (WACS), the massive new undersea cable that recently landed north of Cape Town, will be switched on during 2012. At the same time, he reminds us, many of South Africa and Africa's national and urban fibre network projects will near completion, and data capacity of all networks and telecommunications providers will rise dramatically. "So don't be too shocked when you see data costs plunge yet again, [while] data quality improves," Goldstuck concludes.

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