1. With Semantic Web gaining popularity with applications like OpenCalais, Twine and search like Powerset, we will see a flood of application in Semantic Web area. Most of the application would be in research phase but geeks would be early adopters of those and pave way for mainstream applications. Good semantic web applications would be available by 2011 only.
2. Microsoft’s new Windows 7 will help regain the MS authority. With Vista going wrong and ‘failure’ of advertising campaign the best solution would be to show the world what they are good at.
3. Google’s android will gain more popularity and we will see a new set of mobile from wide manufacturers participating in it. Soon, we will have a multi touch phone and a true competitor to iPhone.
4. Apple will jump into the field of Netbooks, we will see a variety of MBA style netbooks from apple. Apple market share in computer market will grow at much higher rate.
5. Twitter will still be struggling to find a business model for them but definitely it would have gone mainstream with exponential rise in users. Twitter will introduce ‘groups’ for everyone (currently in Japan only).
6. Yahoo would still be in bad waters. Even though they have the best semantic web app (Search Monkey, source : ReadWriteWeb) and other applications doing well, they don’t have the proper business model. Yang would be leaving and Flickr/Del.icio.us still hasn’t started making money. Yahoo will come up with more and better products but still would be struggling catching up with Google. Expect a good semantic web application from Yahoo.
7. Facebook platform will develop more and we will see better application development which will not just include the entertainment factor. We will also see a much better usage of Facebook Connect program and it will gain popularity over open ID.
8. Market will be flooded with the series of Netbook from most manufacturers. It has been proven that Netbook will be the future for power users and the idea is catching up to mainstream.
9. Microsoft will launch Zune Phone in competition with Apple and Google. It would be having the same Windows Mobile platform but the device will be completely different from current devices.
10. We will see more adoptions of SAAS and SOA approach by the enterprises. Even with developer’s love for PHP, ROR and other similar scripting language will grow enterprises would still more money into SAAS model.
(This blog post was in response to a question at Mahalo Answers)
