It’s 2012 so that means it is time to post my predictions for the year.

1. Facebook meets its match. However, Facebook will not die in 2012. This is a planning phase prediction. Whoever will ultimately oust Facebook from the throne of social networking will spring up today and prey on FB’s on vulnerabilities.
2. Google+ finds its niche. Clearly, G+ does not fit the description to be the victor in the above scenario. However, Google has stuck gold with its Google+ network. The granular control and closed ecosystem blended with the open ability to follow and make connections with “circles” means it has it’s place in the social media world. It will focus on business and niche hobbies/interests for like-minded people to meet each other, where Facebook focuses on people who already know each other.
3. SOPA changes our life. It goes through in a version not too dissimilar from its current iteration and shuts down a large enough portion of the Internet that people actually notice. Law gets repealed by Summer of 2013 if another Democrat takes office - March, if a Republican steps in.
4. Microsoft is the Apple of 1997. Windows 7 didn’t do as well as they hoped since it became little more than a huge Vista service pack/patch. Windows 8 on the desktop looks like the phone. People want a desktop to act like a desktop. Windows gains no market share, but actually loses some. 
5. Sony takes a bath and tries to not become Sega. Xbox is the clear winner here. The next generation consoles make a difference. Sony needs to announce something specific and huge THIS year or Xbox takes the console market for heavy gamers and average gamers. Nintendo keeps the kids.
6. The shift in TV begins. Linear programming becomes less relevant as more things go online and on demand. Items like Roku, Boxee and AppleTV proliferate this year as prices come down and bandwidth goes up.
7. Apple settles into life after Steve, and it’s not awesome. The culture won’t change. Cool systems, devices and tons of innovation will prevail. However, without Steve at the helm, things will be different. Just as dedicated, not as magical. Keynotes are less attended/watched. Sales, while high, aren’t as high as before and the mania slips a little. Hopefully they stop the downward trend before it’s too late.
8. Oh… and JavVig Media, LLC blows up, gets funded, finds a 6x-8x valuation and gets bought. That last one is wishful thinking.

I meant to have this out before the new year hit, but alas, the hectic schedule of the holiday season got the better of me.

1. 3D TVs have been all the rage lately, from the perspective of the manufacturer. The price of the TVs, price of the glasses, limited content and the fact that you even need glasses have put a damper on sales. The good news is that the proliferation of 3D TVs have driven down the price of standard LED TVs.
   Prediction: 3D disappears this year until the technology is more affordable, usable and universal.
2. Microsoft capitalizes on the success that is the Kinect (the motion based gaming style for the Xbox 360) and ushers in a new era of gaming (that the Nintendo Wii barely scratched the surface of). Sony releases the Move for the PS3 which gives users something to hold, like the Wii but it is more precise than the Kinect. Users of both platforms are going nuts for these (especially the Kinect, due to its freedom).
   Prediction: More Xbox games show up in the purple case and the entire gaming experience moves towards hands free. You do what? Hold a controller still? Oh, and Steve Ballmer keeps his job.
3. Users are not only playing with the Kinect; they are ripping it apart. Scores of videos are appearing all over the web showing new uses for the camera/sensor system. Some are recreating images in live 3D renderings and others have created Minority Report style interfaces.
   Prediction: Tom Cruise and a pre-cog run through your backyard while you effortless copy files to pieces of glass with your hands. Interactive displays become a reality.
4. Apple’s release of a desktop app store shows 1 million downloads in the first day. Their photo editing program, Aperture, sells for $80 as opposed to the $199 retail price on the shelf.
   Prediction: A desktop app store shows up for Windows as well. Software inventories in retail locations begin to thin like the hair on Ballmer’s head.
5. Tablets are everywhere. First it was the iPad, followed closely by a slew of Android based devices. The battle is now over platform, operating system, and size. 
   Prediction: Many Android based tablets disappear leaving only the cream of the crop. Apple releases iPad 2 in the spring of this year.
6. Every year since 2007 Apple has shown us a new iPhone. 2007 and 2010 were the 2 biggest iterations. It nearly goes without saying that iPhone 5 will be announced at Worldwide Developers Conference with the release to follow in late June or early July.
   Prediction: The jump in feature set is better than from 3G to 3GS but not nearly as rich as the jump between the 3GS and the iPhone 4.
7. We are generating more and more data on a consistent basis. Storing and securing that data is becoming more difficult, even with the huge hard drives. Everyone needs redundant backups and accessibility.
   Prediction: Companies and products like Drobo, Netgear ReadyNas and HP MediaSmart drop in price to give redundant RAID arrays for home users and websites like Mozy and Crash Plan become more popular around the web.
8. Facebook is trying to hold onto its key players. It has been giving out tons of private stock options. The SEC requires them to stay below a certain number of people and shares before forcing them to disclose more details about their finances. Facebook has been holding just below that number.
   Prediction: Facebook can’t afford to stay there anymore. They break the cap, disclose their info, hold an IPO.