1. In about 10 days, about 3 million bloggers will post their predictions for 2008. Heh. But I will have been first, helping to boost this post up in the Google Search Engine.
2. Facebook, having been the most rapidly adopted social media tool of all time will crest and begin to fade, hurt by (1) it's inability to find a monetization system that is acceptable to its user base and (2) allowing spammers and pseudo groups to dampen what was once an incredible user experience.
3. Online Video will continue to expand as both an entertainent and communications tool.
4. Apple for the first time in two decades will capture more than 10 percent of the desktop/laptop market. But it won't come much from enterprise purchases. The long-awaited Vista Service Pack 1 will finally arrive for corporate customers where it will immediately disappoint in terms of performance enhancement.
5. At least two new companies will enter the smart phone market with products targeted aggressively against the iPhone.
6. The Boston Red Sox will defeat the Chicago Cubs in the 9th inning of the 7th game of the World Series with a pinch hit grand slam home run. They will have been down by three runs and the count will be 3-2 when the hit comes.
7. Ron Paul will not become president. He will become a correspondent for Techcrunch and make guest appearances on Saturday Night Live.
8. Twitter will continue to ascend in popularity. However, it will find itself in the same bind as Facebook regarding monetization. Both companies will come to learn there is a huge chasm between what they can do for revenue and what they should do.
9. Two major metropolitan daily newspapers will cease to exist. Best bets are the San Francisco Chronicle and the Boston Globe. The world will not be a better place.
10. I will retire as a start ups consultant after 30 years of it to become a TV star, or maybe a rock star, but certainly not an opera star.
If the rock star thing looks like a sure fired bet, MAXroam will sponsor the back of your leather jacket, seriously Shel as we come to the end of what was an an amazing year for a bunch of little Irish guys I think it is only fair to say a huge "Go raibh maith agat" (thanks) to you for all your help this year.
Posted by: pat phelan | December 21, 2007 at 09:35 AM
I dunno - I feel like you would look good with a Viking helmet on. I vote for opera star - but perhaps it would be a rock opera.
Posted by: maggie fox | December 21, 2007 at 01:50 PM
Careful, Pat, when read in a New England accent "Go raibh maith agat" sounds an awful lot like "Go rob my goat," and you really don't want Shel to do that.
Posted by: Chip Griffin | December 21, 2007 at 01:52 PM
Hey Pat, help me get Chip's goat. We can do that by suggesting America elct Hillary Clinton for life.
Posted by: shel israel | December 21, 2007 at 01:55 PM
Your comments are excellent at 71 years old I have seen a lot of start ups ! My era was the belly to belly sales person ! Twitter and Facebook , interesting efforts but they will become Edsel's, with out mature schooled business types at the wheel ! Lets face it throwing millions of dollars to kids without structure you get wet diapers ! Onward upward Google! DON"T RETIRE !
Posted by: mARSHAL SANDLER | December 21, 2007 at 02:13 PM