After I talked about things that changed over the last ten years, I thought I would through out a few predictions about the next 10 years.

Media Consumption

One of the major changes I expect is that the way that we consume movies and TV shows will change drastically. TV networks and cable companies are lagging behind the times and if they aren’t careful they will join the newspapers as the next ones out of business. They have yet to find a way to make DVRs work in their favor. I have been saying for a while that the solution is to make all episodes of shows available on-demand anytime for free. But the first viewing you have to watch commercials. This circumvents existing DVRs and makes sure that everyone watches commercials at least once. And if the show is available anytime, no one needs to “record” anything anymore.

Netflix and even Blockbuster have finally figured out that the answer is streaming any* movie you want on demand for a monthly fee. Apple lets you rent these and stream them a la carte. Cable companies already have allowed for on-demand movies either for free or for a fee. As more people invest in Home Theatre PCs (HTPC) or other set top boxes this will become even more commonplace.

Wireless Internet Everywhere

I also think that wireless internet is the future. The existing “pipes” the cable companies use for broadband probably can’t get a lot faster. And wireless broadband is catching up. 4G is around the corner and will get your wireless closer to what wired has. Imagine if you could bring your notebook anywhere and be using your own ISP.

Computers as we know them

My last prediction is what happens to what we now know as the personal computer. The last few years, hardware capabilities have far surpassed what is needed for the average user. Internet browsing, e-mail, SMS, playing music and video can all be done on an iPhone, which is the equivalent of 10 year old computer. More and more these mobile devices will replace people’s needs for an actual computer. I foresee docking your phone at home to in some respect and being able to use bigger screens and other input devices as needed.

*any doesn’t truly mean any yet, since there is a limited catalog available