I wanted to share two quick predictions on where we're headed in 2011 with the Cloud. In just the past few months we've witnessed the Cloud go mainstream. I have two ideas on where we're headed next.
My first prediction for 2011? We're headed for a streaming Cloud. Multimedia including pictures, songs, videos, movies and so on will be accessible on nearly every device and on demand. Want to listen to that song you bought last month? You'll have the opportunity to do so from any of your devices. No worrying about plugging in iPods, iPads, phones, et cetera. Just pick the song from you're playlist and it'll stream effortlessly. We're already beginning to see this happen with Netflix. I can logon from any computer and have access to my queue. We're headed towards a world where we don't store multimedia on our own device.
My second prediction? We've reached the Wild West of apps. Today Apple announced their new App Store which will steal a little bit of thunder at CES. Google Chrome's Web store is also up and running. Everyone wants in on the App Store action and I suspect the frenzy will simply grow. Developers can build and launch apps on a variety of platforms. The winner of this one will be the platform that allows developers to make the most money the fastest. Just as Apple used to be hamstrung by not offering the incredible array of programs that Microsoft could I suspect a few app stores will suffer the same fate. The question of course is who will win and who will lose?