I started 2011 off by getting two strikes on my first two bowling balls of the year, so that should mean a stellar year for me personally?! Here are some of my thoughts and predictions for this year.
In Search
– Google will face some more heavy anti-trust lawsuits and will start to back-off on their greed factor. Google has now pushed organic (natural) listings down past the fold, squeezing out online directories and information providers (weather and sports score sites) and have implemented ads right inside emails.
They are so aggressive in their quest to earn another few billion that soon, everyday folks will start realizing that they might not be the best search alternative. The big question is, can a new search engine or one of the older ones step-up and do something that will help the mainstream searchers switch over? I predict that besides the rough ride Google might have with anti-trust issues they will remain dominant and retain most of their market share.
In Tech
– Apple will come out with an iPad Lite or iPad Jr. – iPads have been very popular but they sure are big! I think Apple will have an option for a smaller more compact iPad this year. My guess is the new version will have a 7.7 inch screen so it will be roughly 20% smaller.
Other Stuff
– A terrorist attack in the USA will succeed on a much smaller scale than 9/11. I predict something like a bombing in the downtown core of a major US city in CA or NY. My guess is that many plots over the last few years have been foiled but the crazy, sick terrorists will continue trying.
– The US government will announce increased rebates for purchasers of electric cars. The current rebate of $7,500 will be increased to at least $8,000 and maybe as high as $10,000. The USA and in fact all of North America needs to start ending its love affair with fossil fuels and electric cars are a big part of this solution.
– Similar to the above I predict a breakthrough this year in electric car batteries that will allow for a 25% increase in travel distances and a similar decrease in charging times.
Long Term Prediction
– This one might come across as more science fiction than science but I predict by the year 2050 we will be utilizing solar and lightning power for 90% of the worlds energy needs.