Tis the season for 2008 predictions. I always love when Tom Merrit and Molly Wood (and the well missed Veronica Belmont) do their predictions on the CNET podcast Buzz Out Loud. So I thought it might be fun to post five of my own predictions.
- Mac market share will continue to rise. Call it the halo effect of iPods and iPhones. Argue that it’s a better operating system. Claim security is locked down tighter. What ever the reason, people are switching and will continue to switch in 2008. Apple market share in the personal computer space will reach an all time high. With it, users will find out that they don’t have to be tied to Windows to work and play on their computers. This can only help Linux in the future.
- Mac viruses will become more common. With the increased market share will come increase focus by hackers, crackers and virus writers. Expect to see more and more stories showcasing Mac viruses especially from snobby “we told you so” Windows users.
- Peta scale computing in super computers. Currently, the fastest supercomputers are capable of between 200 – 400 Teraflops per second of raw computing power. In 2008, expect to see this break 1,000 Teraflops or a Petaflop. Faster computers mean huge break-throughs especially in science and biomedical. Plus, as computers get faster on the top end, this increase tends to trickle down to consumer oriented computers. We haven’t maxed out our PC power yet.
- Newspapers will start purchasing online websites. Newspaper circulation and advertising revenue in on the decline. Look for them to get way more aggressive online this year. We’ve already seen a few kill their online paid content in favor of increased online advertising. Look for this trend to continue as them mega companies look for ways to shift their revenue streams.
- GPS in the mobile phone. GPS has been available in phones for a while but only available to 911 type services. 2008 will be the year that handsets will allow users to take advantage of the GPS capabilities. No longer will finding your destination be a difficult thing. This will mean decreased sales in stand alone GPS units.