Edit: I seem to have pretty good at predicting things accurately here. I may end up updating the post. Stay tuned.
Here are a few ideas about what the future could look like.
I wouldn’t consider these holy writ; more like provocations to think about.
A. Bitcoin becomes extremely popular, replaces gold as a stable currency because of its algorithmic, predictable, stable nature. Bitcoin ATMs on every block.
B. Home Depot becomes a giant room, 2% of its usual size, with 3D printers in the back that just print out whatever it is that you want. No more inventory.
C. Amazon does the opposite. Opens warehouses that become showcases for the few things you have trouble ordering online… fridges, etc.
D. Your smartphone becomes your wallet, your ID card, your keys. Segments society into smartphone users (who have access to the best services), and non-smartphone users (who don’t).
E. Social networks become generational, with each successive generation abandoning the previous one and software using more highly viral methods to reach the generation that is not yet captured. See: Snapchat, WeChat. Eventual boom/bust cycles cause great instability. OR…
F. Social networks obtain permanent place in the stage of life of the participant. i.e LinkedIn becomes the dominant circle when your work life starts to gain in importance, then declines once you retire. Etc.
G. Google Fiber threatens to put all other telecom providers out of business as a result of their intent to “organize and make available all of the world’s information,†theorizing that slow internet prevents access to information. Anti-trust legislation follows. See Jason Calacanis’ Launch list for more on this.
H. Wars develop for each location a piece of hardware can exist: the eye, the wrist, the hand, the desk, etc. Nike probably wins the wrist. The rest… I mean, hey, hard to bet on anything else but Google.
I. Increasingly peer-to-peer services replace everything, as they create efficiencies where middlemen are unnecessary. Offices (obviously), restaurants, tours, travel, flights… everything. And remember, the inevitable end result of all technology is omniscience and telepathy. Or extinction. (Only slightly kidding.)
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