I recently made a prediction to a friend of mine. Now, the only time I’d ever make a prediction is if it was some sort of aggressive reaction to combat ideas that I didn’t like. Naturally this makes the matter rather foolhardy. However, I think that even though this prediction is quite brash, it has some substance to it. The prediction is this: Acer (the lower cost computer brand) will (by 02020-25*) become the main supplier of computer hardware. How? …So glad you asked.
By approximately 02015, HP will own 35-40% of Microsoft, creating MS/HP. Microsoft will, by this time, have purchased the necessary companies or will have started their own to advance their effective “ownership” of the internet. This means they will own a majority of name companies like Yahoo (which will have bought MySpace (as it was dying) in a bad move of hoping to help it’s own name), Facebook, and Verizon. Thus, three major technology companies will exist. They are MS/HP, Google (whose name will be synonimous with X-Prize and Virgin, though they will be seperate from), and Apple/Sprint**.
Anyway, during this time, Acer will be growing into a completely formiddable technology company, largely due to it’s ever lower prices whilst still maintaining the status quo of the time in technology. This will be the company that will base everything on a universal parts system. (This will come about due to it’s affordability and growing preference with “tech heads”, who will begin to modify it and shape it to the open source world, much like people are doing with iPhone apps now). So Acer will grow and will quickly make an impact on the “Big 3″ technology companies. Feeling the most heat, MS/HP will be the prime meat for Acer to latch on to. MS/HP being the weakest of the Big 3, will do everything they can to get Acer before the other two do. They finally settle on 35% of the company to Acer, with a remaining 5% being awarded, so to speak, over the next 10 years. In the end, the Acer merger causes stocks to skyrocket and Acer will forced to become the name brand for all technologies within (though MS/HP will remain the parent company).
Slowly over the next 15 years, Apple will become obsolete***. Google, however, will continue to thrive, mostly due to their other projects. The main reason they will still be a contender (though forever second best) is because they quickly latched on to the universality that Acer was offering through MS/HP. Apple will change as well, but too late. Eventually their marketing will shed like shag carpet and their sleek designs will not matter in the face of real and affordable technology. Acer will be in the houses of people world wide. The best part, Acer’s eventual worldwide availability will be due to the ultimate humanitarian, William Gates.
My idea was originally to back up Microsoft in the MS v. Apple battle. In truth, I don’t think either of them are going to be the existing answer by the 02020’s for technology. I do see the real market ending for computers and being replaced with an essential monopoly by one major brand. However, the future of this brand is blurry to me as I see all technology markets and companies becoming, maybe specialists, companies that will all work around one universal system. I see USB as the precursor to a similar form of universal plugins (including an eventual spread to all use of wall plugs). I also see the iPhone as being the precursor to the universal “companion”. Which it already is in some ways. I may have mentioned this in a previous post, but essentially this “companion” will be the key to our cars and houses, our money source and id form, our control portal for everything we own. Oh yeah, and a phone too. Everything. Much like Microsoft advertises in their “Future Vision” series, only not really cornered by any one company. Rather, usable with anything of any brand.****
Hopefully it will be like uniforms in schools (which I’m also pro) – people can stop focusing on what looks cool and actually start focusing on real stuff of benefit.
*Some dates have been adjusted slightly and are not totally accurate to what I consider a possibility.
**Likely some entertainment corporations will be owned in part by these companies; for example I see EMI belonging to Apple and Sony becoming exclusive to them as well. In a competitive grasp, MS would try and grab some other music big league (though not the near dead Warner or Universal). In the end I think this will not happen for MS. Instead they will start their own Entertainment Company, of which I have no further insight on.
***I wish no harm, but I predict that the illness now being kept from the public will sooner than later take it’s toll on Steve Jobs and this will, in effect, be a slow death to Apple.
****In addition, I would like to state that I think Phillips will be bought by a company like Shell and will be part of it’s conglomorate which will extend to global healing technologies. Also with these corporations will be Dyson. They will totally obliterate the competitors. LOL!
NOTE: I would like to state that I really have no idea how markets and … well, I have no real backing for any of this. Some of these mergers an such will likely be impossible on some level.
