2005 is almost over, Now What?…Predictions for 2006

December 23, 2005

2005 is almost over, Now What?…Predictions for 2006

As 2005 ends and 2006 begins, some predictions for 2006…

1. The tag “Web 2.0” will peak and then go out of style, only to be replaced by an even more debated new tag for consumer internet innovation…
2. Ajax desktops will be commoditized (perhaps already true?)…
3. At least one new Ajax development environment will be released that makes Ajax apps super-easy to create and Ajax will continue to accelerate…
4. The rich client (attached to internet services) will stage a comeback…
5. Consumer website innovation will continue to increase dramatically…
6. Internet video will explode…
7. Some of the consumer website innovation will start creeping into business websites and applications…
8. Go Daddy will not advertise on the Superbowl game broadcast, but we will all continue to remember the 2005 commercial…
9. Firefox will gain significant market share over IE and become the browser that consumer sites write to first…
10. Microsoft will release some really clever “Microsoft Live” components and create a new buzz for the company…
11. Microsoft search will find an extremely clever way to compete against Google (perhaps as an advertising platform for websites that gives more revenue share to the consumer AND the websites)…
12. Vista will be later than expected, but will be a hit…as will XBox360 (once people get over the price)…
13. Both Intel and AMD will have great years…
14. Salesforce.com will continue to build its B2B On-demand market domination…
15. Google will continue down the path of becoming a large company and will be a lightning rod for government privacy regulation…Google will regret their “do no evil” moniker as the blogosphere creates unattractive altered versions and discontent grows…
16. The Apple OS will become the Linux-based desktop operating system that everyone has been waiting for…and Apple will continue to impress with other product releases…
17. Dell will get hurt as others out-Dell Dell and Lenovo picks up market share…
18. Sun will start its comeback…
19. HP will reorganize into a smaller, more focused, more profitable company…
20. The long-distance wireless internet will pop, but it will be Verizon, not Intel or WiMax, that wins this round…
21. Blackberry service in the U.S. will not be shut down…
22. Search will continue to move toward domain-specific (a.k.a., vertical search)…
23. Social sites will micro-segment as well, as the hosting companies and other service providers put out services for all to use…
24. Johnny Damon will cut his hair short (actually, it turns out he did it yesterday, as I was drafting this post) and Brad Feld will grow his hair long again…
25. A zero-day exploit will cause serious damage to computer systems globally…
26. The stock markets globally will have a great year…
27. The global temperatures will be either hotter or colder and either way will be blamed on the greenhouse effect…
28. The upper tier environmentalists will continue to buy hybrids and electric cars while consuming massive quantities of fuel in their private jets…
29. Personal websites, collaboration, and blogs will grow 100+ percent…
30. Domain names will become scarcer and prices will rise, perhaps dramatically…
31. Oil will become plentiful and gas prices will drop…
32. Vacation area real estate prices will rise dramatically…
33. Jet Blue will continue to expand…
34. Bush’s popularity will drop to a new low…
35. Opticians will have another great year, as eye exams and prescriptions will be up due to eye strain caused by computer screens…
36. Acquisitions will increase over 2005 and entrepreneurs will be singing the song “were going to party like it’s 1999”

Happy New Year!!

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