2010 Prediction – The year of GIANTS!

In just a couple weeks, everyone will be coming out with their predictions about 2010.  I’m jumping the gun and getting mine out today.  I’ve been thinking a lot about this, so I’m ready early.

I predict that 2010 will be the year of the online Giants! 

The Internet and technology in general will have some major players that will dominate stronger than ever.  Everything else will be much, much smaller.

The two biggest giants are going to be Microsoft and Google.

But they both had excellent years in 2009 and are just now starting to erupt in growth and power.  These two biggest giants and will clash constantly and powerfully.

Interestingly, these two did not start out as enemies. 

Microsoft was the big corporate software company, but they are much much more.  They will be the 2^nd place search engine (with no other real competitors).  They are already putting constant effort into catching up to Google.  What started out as a software company is now a giant in mobile phones, online advertising, video games, browsers, e-mail & more.

Google started out as the friendly “do no evil” company.  But those days are already over.  They are a corporate giant and will try to compete with Microsoft in every way.  Their goals of “Organizing the World’s Information” is only eclipsed by their desire to put ads on all of it.  Seriously, 98% of their revenue is in AdWords.  They are now in software, operating systems, mobile phones, browsers and everything else.

These two giants will spend 2010 clashing, positioning, growing, and acquiring other businesses as fast and powerfully as they can. 

The only other company to come anywhere close is Apple, but they will not (and don’t even want to) gain the market share that Microsoft and Google do.  Apple prefers to have the overpriced hardware and software that feels exclusive and expensive.  (The stuff the “cool kids” want.)

What about online content?

In a physical world dominated by content from News Corp & Disney (ABC), the two online equivalent giants will be Time Warner & Yahoo (if Yahoo can get their act together).

What about Social Media?

It’s official, Facebook and Twitter win.  Which one?  Both!  Will another come along?  Perhaps, but I doubt it.  These two have officially won and will dominate 2010.  It’s hard to imagine another giant gaining the power these two have.

What about Ecommerce?

The Giant is Amazon.  Ebay used to be right there with them.  But they are just plain falling into the toilet.  Amazon is the clear winner and I don’t think there is a 2^nd place.

The 2010 prediction…

None of the above is all that shocking or surprising.  In fact, all of it is already happening.  However, these giants will grow, gain strength, and overpower anyone else that even tried to gain on them.  These companies are strong and will be extremely difficult to topple, especially as the economy starts to improve.

My prediction is that the distance between these giants and anyone else will only grow.