Sometimes you get it right, sometimes you don’t. In the nearly three years I’ve been writing for Deep Thought, I’ve put on my pundit hat and made a number of predictions. So how’d I do? Let’s just say this: I won’t be starting a psychic hotline anytime soon--unless I want to be like Miss Cleo, that is. That’s one career path I’m not planning to follow, that’s for sure.

But I digress.

To start things off, let’s look at a classic prediction of mine from May 2005:

Also, there’s the issue of creating a user interface for these super phones that store contacts, send e-mail, take pictures, play movies, music, wash your car, make you breakfast, and do your taxes for you. It is very hard to make a decent single user interface that can handle all sorts of functions, especially considering the small size of cell phone screens. It has the potential to become an unusable mess, or, as Steve Jobs puts it, a “tortured user interface.” If anyone could pull it off though, it would be Apple. I don’t see Apple going in that direction anytime soon, however.

I got that first part right! Apple came out with a phone that went against the grain of today’s smart phones by designing a phone with a larger screen and no physical keyboard. The result has been a very nice user experience. On the other hand, I completely blew it when I said that I didn’t see Apple releasing a cell phone. Oops.

From an April Fool’s article from 2005:

Reliable anonymous insider sources report that Apple will soon pull the plug on Mac OS X development. Apple will instead focus on their popular iPod music players and x86 PCs. The PCs will apparently use Apple’s current designs, but be manufactured by Dell.

Yes, it was a joke, but who saw Apple actually shipping x86 machines? Not me, that’s for sure.

This one was from an article written later that month dismissing claims made by Paul Thurrott that Apple would announce a switch to x86 processors by the end of 2005:

For now, however, it would be safe to assume that this too is a groundless rumor (as was every other Mac-on-x86 rumor out there). From where I’m sitting, it almost sounds like wishful thinking from PC users that Apple would make OS X run on an x86 machine. Ain’t gonna happen.

Again, I got the last part right, but completely dropped the ball on the first part. Oops.

And then mere days before Apple actually announced the switch to Intel, I wrote this gem:

A switch to x86 could be pure distilled stupidity, for several reasons:
-It would alienate many Mac users and developers.
-It would kill Mac sales from now until x86 Macs hit the market.
-It makes little sense. Sure, as of now, Intel chips would seem to have the GHz advantage. But there is a lot of innovation--like dual-core Freescale G4 chips and multi-core G5, as well as the Cell processors--in the PowerPC world. The fact that every next-generation gaming console will use the PowerPC architecture is telling.

Uh, wrong, wrong, and wrong. It turns out I was the one who was purveying pure distilled stupidity. I followed up with a nice helping of crow the following week:

Now if you excuse me, I need to have me a big ol’ helping of crow with a side of grits. And a mixed green salad. Mmm, tasty.

Here’s one from an article I wrote entitled, Ten suggestions for Leopard:

Pick a look already. Once upon a time, the Mac OS was a model of consistency. While today all applications work largely the same, it would be nice if Apple picked a consistent look. Perhaps the smooth look of Mail and iTunes is the beginning of a return to a somewhat consistent look?

Ask and you shall receive! Leopard will sport a more consistent window look across all applications.

So, dear readers, next time I make a prediction, do me a big favor…

Ignore it.