What's in 2013?

Picture 1. Photo was taken in Lembongan Island, Bali, Indonesia

Twenty Thirteen just kicked off. Where will this year possibly sail the world to?

Mobile Device

The discontinuation of Symbian OS left a gap in the lower segment of mobile device market. Current popular OS like Android, iOS, and Windows Phone will try to enter this market, but newcomers will be more considerable since those OSs are identical to high hardware requirements. Usable browser and growing ecosystem are the key features in this segment. Firefox OS has a chance to fill the gap since it has already had an ecosystem. Samsung may try to push its Bada OS further, while Meego and Sailfish OS may still need more time.

Healthcare

Previous holder of most valuable company in the world has proven that:

• A device can be smaller and thinner as technology evolves
• OS can be integrated to various devices like music player, mobile phone, tablet PC, and (possibly) Television

This time, healthcare may get tighter integration to:

• popular OS as a way to find medical experts, book an appointment, purchase prescription, insurance claim, etc.
• social media which will challenge credibility of medical experts while it is also benefited customers to avoid malpractice.
• popular hardware as an add-ons, e.g.: medical tools integrated with a cellular phone to enhance mobility and interaction with data center.
• data analytics as eHR is growing and more detailed patient data is stored in the database. Data analytics will enable early stage of medical examination or cross-reference.

Management

Risk management will go beyond financial industry. As global recession is still a popular topic in developed countries, especially in Europe, risk of business decision will always need to be assess thoroughly. A small mistake may have deeper consequences. It may not about market competition anymore. It may also be about credibility, credit rating, share price movement, supply chain, changes of government regulation, etc. Business should remain be challenged. That is the main role of risk management. Hence, this may the moment when risk management have a chance to rise or even become a stand-alone part in the company.

Education

MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) has been shifted from individual to organization and from free to low cost. It has also proven to be able to provide job opportunity through direct endorsement from the courses' lecturers. The popularity of MOOC may drive individual to pursue what they want to learn and proof that they can also be good at it without attending university. Certification may grow further as people seek a proof of what they have built expertise on.

Music Industry

KPop is growing and it may break in to more markets, including possibly Indian market (Bollywood).