If you want to predict the future, you need to use some targetting mechanisms to turn your finger in the air, into a forecast.
A good way to do this is to pick a year, and try and describe it in detail. Lets choose 2020.
This is 8 years from now, and far enough away to be able to see changes. Firstly, things will be very similar to now. Its not going to be all flying cars! ;)
Now look back 8 years and see what life was like. 8 years ago was 2004. We had a growing economy, and people were buying products that entertained them. They were also going on holiday and massaging their egos with nice branded goods. Most of the work available was in the public sector and the service industries. Colleges were being criticized for having too many media courses, and everyone wanted to be a star! China was spotted as being a growing power, and We were having a war in the middle east.
Notice how its mostly about the economy? In 2020, the most dominant feature will be how the economy will be set up. If its growing, which I think it will be, then people will be feeling good about life, and positive about the future.
The question is, what will be causing the growth? Technology is the best way to create growth. Its about introducing a change that is big enough to warrant spending by the public. When the people want something, rather than the government wanting people to want something, the economy changes shape.
It happened with computers in the 80s / 90s when people bought the home computers for their kids
It happened in the 90s / 00s with mobile phones where people found they no longer had to stay in the house.
So what is the next growth market? Its not tablets, or smart phones etc as they are just replacements for what people already have. A real technology growth is where something new turns up.
All the indicators show that the next growth market is robots. Personal robots which play the role of medical or personal carer will be very popular as soon as the prices hit an affordable figure.
They will be built by car manufacturers such as Toyota and Honda.
The question is will this effect be big enough, fast enough to make 2020 the best time to enter this market?
That would be your choice!
