Mr. Siddons has made the following remarkable forecasts that have come true or may come true:

YEAR PREDICTION

1979

By the year 2000 many computers will be the size of today's calculators but have the capabilities of more recent computers of the day. (1996-2000 PalmPilot, Windows CE devices/palmtops) 2010 - Apple Ipod/Iphone and Windows Mobile aka cell phones.

1983 

CD's will replace LP records by 1988 (actual occurance 1985)

1987

CD-ROM will become a common peripheral of the PC within five years (1992). (Actual occurrance:1994). 

The Year 2000 problem will created a new business opportunity for new companies and firms to make millions. (Actual occurrance:1995-2000 a 600 billion dollar industry).  All major mainframe applications need to be re-written to expand date fields from 2 digit dates for 4. The problem will become a HUGE opportunity for any new business whose sole purpose it would be to help companies re-write their millions of lines of code before the year 2000.

1989

AT&T enters the Cable Television business by 2000 (Actual occurrence 1999-2000) 2006 - SBC merges with AT&T and is back in the cable TV business with VOIP. 2010 - AT&T U-Verse Wireless, Advance TV, Internet, Phone

A public national wide area network of computers will emerge within five years (mid 1990's) (Actual occurrance:1994 a.k.a. the Internet).

HDTV or DTV will begin to replace analog television by the year 2000. (Actual occurrence: 2000-2009).  DTV replaced Analog June 2009.

Computers, TV and the phone will merge (convergence: begins 1990-2000+, becomes reality 2004-2006).  Today you can watch TV on a phone, Make phone calls on a computer (Skype) , Surf the WWW on a TV, listen to music on a phone, computer and TV, listen to radio on the WWW.

Windows will replace DOS on PC's in the 1990s (Actual occurrence:1994)

 

1990 

The Communications Act legislation that is being suggested that will break the barriers between the long distance, local and cable television systems will provoke a confusing battle of company alliances, buyouts as well as create new companies and products. (Actual occurrance:1996-2001).

1994

The World Wide Web will have profound implications in the computer world as businesses begin to provide information and commerce. (Actual occurrance:1996).

1997

DVD will replace VCR and laserdisk as the preferred movie medium once the DVDRAM (recordable DVD's) becomes established within five years (2002). DVD for computers will replace the CD-ROM common peripheral within three years (2000). First consumer DVD recorders came out in 2002 as predicted. High Def DVD and Blue Ray appeared in 2006.

1999

Microsoft will not be split-up despite the rulings. However the company will spin off lines of business to focus on the future (2010 - the company has not yet spin off any lines of business).