My Predictions for 2008
What will make a move in 2008 and what will die? These are my first predictions and as you can understand im not too sure which will end up being true and which will not eventuate. If you have anything to add make sure you add a comment and see if you can get it on the list.
- Microsoft will start purchasing companies as Steve Bullmer predicted and one the key acquisitions will be SixApart.
- Gmail will move from the online space to also be available offline.
- The mobile web and applications will become more mainstream and more companies and products will just be based for mobiles.
- Zoho will be purchased. I dont think it will be either Google or Microsoft.
- Technorati will be heading towards the Dead Pool.
- Digg will be sold but I think for only about $200 million and not the $300 million they are looking for.
- AOLs Platform A will launch and will really shake up the industry. It will offer a great third option to Google and Microsoft.
- Hybrid Applications will become the norm. Microsoft will be move their Office applications online and compete will Google and Zoho. While Google will move their applications offline.
- More Ad network marketplaces will launch and start to grab more of the market and transparency between publishers and advertisers will become a lot less.
- A new social network will launch and quickly compete with Facebook, Myspace and Bebo. This social network will be invite only and will have some very exclusive features.
- Napster will slowly be running out of money and wishing they had changed their structure (especially towards DRMs), soon to be in the Dead Pool.
8 Comments
good list. you can check out more predictions on our twitter account twitter.com/predictions08 (or click on link above)
> More Ad network marketplaces will launch and start to grab
>more of the market and transparency between publishers and
> advertisers will become a lot less.
I’m not sure about this one. I think the ad network market is saturated with below par middlemen, and if anything a lot of them will start dropping out of the game as the level of innovation in the industry increases.
I think the ones that will survive are those that are can use technology to make ads work. Just as Google used technology to make a certain class of ads – text ads – work.
Of course, I think Aductions will be in that top list but that’s a story for another day.
> A new social network will launch and quickly compete with
> Facebook, Myspace and Bebo. This social network will be
> invite only and will have some very exclusive features
Once again I think this one is debatable simply because I think more people are now having social-network-fatigue.
Tell you what mate, I’ll stick out 10 quid for a bet that we see more consolidation in the social network space as opposed to a new social networks arriving and making any material impact.
I predict Facebook buying other networks in order to spend that war chest of theirs, and support their monster valuation.