Geek News Predictions for 2021
Happy New Year, dear readers! 2020 was quite a turbulent year and like everyone else, I’m more than happy to put it behind us. However, the pessimist in me fears that all the negative events from 2020 won’t go away just because a new year is upon us. I don’t want to be a total downer as there are things to look forward to in 2021, including COVID-19 vaccines and perhaps a return to whatever normal is by year’s end. It wouldn’t be New Year’s Day without kicking off some predictions on Damage Control. I’ll be back on December 31 to see how well or badly I did with my predictions. Don’t forget to check out the results of my 2020 predictions.
We’re done with 2020, but 2020 isn’t done with us
As I alluded to it may be 2021 now, but 2020 isn’t done with us as of yet. Vaccines are being distributed (albeit slowly) and life will eventually return to normal. I predict that the much desired return to normal probably won’t happen until later this year, perhaps not until late summer or early fall. People are still ignoring mask and social distancing guidelines even as ICUs fill up, COVID-19 cases are still rising, and plenty of people refuse to take the vaccine. Those conventions, movies, events, and international getaways will not be returning any time soon. Add financial hardship and a federal government that refuses give any meaningful aid to regular people and things are still looking ugly in the immediate future.
Apple strikes a blow against Epic as it lowers commission prices on the app store
Tech news took a turn for the interesting in mid-August when Apple (and Google) kicked Epic’s Fortnite off the App Store for using its own payment system. Epic shot back with an antitrust lawsuit following Fortnite’s removal. Since then both Apple and Epic have been taking shots at each other. One plus to come from Epic’s lawsuit is that Apple lowered its App Store commission prices on small app developers from 30% to 15%. I predict that Apple will eventually do the same with larger developers, taking some of the bite out of Epic’s antitrust and anti-consumer argument when the case does go to trial later this year.
Cyberpunk 2077 redeems itself, but CDPR’s reputation continues to suffer
The news surrounding the hype and fall of Cyberpunk 2077 has been nothing short of amazing. I’m still in awe at how CD Projekt Red managed to burn away its sterling reputation among fans with the heavy flawed release of CP2077. That said, I predict that those long awaited patches for the game will arrive and fix the majority of problems on consoles. These fixes will help people forget about the game’s terrible launch. Like No Man’s Sky or even Final Fantasy XIV, the game will be considered a major success. Even with the success of Cyberpunk 2077, fans and shareholders won’t easily forgive the management at CDPR and the lawsuits will continue. Additionally, the publisher will never regain the reputation it had after success of The Witcher 3.
The Xbox Series X/S become easier to find, but the PS5 remains in short supply
If anyone remembers anything about the launch of the Xbox Series X, the Series S, and the PlayStation 5 it will be the difficultly of obtaining a console. This is due to short supplies, limited availability in physical stores, and scalpers using bots to buy up the majority of stock. As the pressure of the holiday season winds down and more stock is made available, all three consoles will be easier for consumers to buy. I predict the Xbox Series X and the Series S will be the easiest to find within three to four months while the more popular PS5 remains harder to find until the summer.
The 2020 cyber attacks are worse than imagined
One of the biggest tech stories from the end of the year was the massive security breach that hit SolarWinds. The hackers, thought to the elite Russian SVR managed to break into the network as early as March, but the attack wasn’t discovered until December. This hack may have affected tens of thousands of SolarWind’s customers worldwide. So far it’s not clear how bad the hack was and if all of the backdoors created by the hackers can be successfully closed. I predict that a year from now, we’ll still be talking about the fallout and little to nothing will be done about the vulnerabilities that allowed for such a massive government and corporate hack.
About The Author
Angela
Executive Editor | Angela has had an addiction to video games and cartoons since she was young and impressionable. She enjoys writing long articles about these subjects and whatever else catches her eye. Mastodon
