Where is this internet going? How will we compute information five to ten years from now? The fact that the future means ten years from now is indicative of the exponential nature of technology. It is apparent that more has changed in the last twenty years than has probably changed in the last 220 years combined. The internet, the internet, and the internet have changed the game.

Please understand these are just loose predictions based on my opinion of trends I recognize now. However, I like to think I’m pretty good so feel free to tell me I’m wrong or way off base.

The Tablet PC

With the buzz that currently surrounds the release of Apple’s newest creation, the tablet PC, it’s hard to deny that this will change the game much like the iPod or the iPhone. With access to a 3G network, I see the tablet PC as the beginning of the end of wireless routers and wireless internet in general. Having a computer dependent on a broadband phone service like 3G will eliminate the necessity of being connected to a local wireless connection. Phone companies must see this and have to be chomping at the bit to be the leader in the industry.

Cloud Computing

Google Docs has changed the way I look at working on a computer. I am bored with having a hard drive and want all my files to be accessible online. I find it easier to organize my folders and files on Google Docs now more than on my iMac’s hard drive. Just check out this link: https://www.google.com/accounts/PurchaseStorage?hl=en. This is the beginning of the end. I can buy 1 full terabyte (TB) of digital storage space and have a slick interface to manage all the content I have on that 1 TB for just $256 a year. That pretty much means I can upload my entire hard drive and all the external hard drives I own onto Google and feel confident in the fact that my information resides on Google’s MASSIVE network of servers around the world and not on my dinky little external that will probably quit on me in a year or so.

Google Docs also offers me access to edit all the major file formats including .xls, .doc, and .ppt. I hardly ever open a Microsoft Office application anymore and don’t see that changing at any point in the future. When Google offers more programs such as the ones Adobe offers (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign) I will be able to officially make the transition to a cloud computer.

Social Networking & Personal Availability

Seldom an hour goes by when I don’t check in to any one of the social networking websites I am on. Whether it be answering an email, replying to a tweet, adding a friend on Facebook, or checking in with Foursquare, people usually know where I am. This will change and become more and more accessible in the future. I see mobile devices as the instant connection to every person in the world. Cell phones offer that technically but imagine carrying the iPhone while you are simultaneously logged in to gchat or responding to tweets. Bring all the services offered currently into a stream-lined platform for connectivity and you have the constant and instant ability to always know where a person is at all times. Creepy? Yes, but that’s what they thought about the telephone (that fact still needs be checked but I assume someone thought that).

General Internets

I love my iPod Touch. I have an iPod Touch because my current mobile provider unfortunately doesn’t offer the convenience of an iPhone. The fact that I felt the need to apologize about the fact that I have an iPod Touch should tell you a thing or two about the changing landscape of technology. Alright, so I love my iPod Touch because I have downloaded the app for just about every major web page I normally browse. I assume that on a good day I can visit around 85% of the sites I would normally visit through some sort of mobile app. Mobile apps are better. They offer a slick and well thought out interface that offers quick navigation and easy readability. It’s already happening but in the future companies will develop the mobile app first and then worry about their web page later. I think web pages will be a thing of the past. This makes someone who makes his living in web design and development a little nervous but hey I’ve probably got like two years right?

Oh and don’t even ask me what the future will look like in 20 years because the only thing I foresee are lasers, kittens, and a whole lot of YouTube. Exciting stuff!