Q: In addition to the trends listed above, what trends to you see emerging with regard to the internet?
A: One major trend I see emerging on the internet at the moment world wide is the emergence of online applications. Applications like MS Office are now receiving competitions from online software by google. This software is free, has much of the fuctionality of office and is available anywhere where theres internet. There are even online operating systems available now and in the future this could even replace operating systems on a PC.
Another online trend is the movement of traditional video media online. Many US broadcasters are realising they are facing stong competition with the internet. Their response has been to start offering many popular TV shows online to watch for free. This has been made possible by the rapid increase in bandwidth available to the average person. In future I see a lot more traditional broadcasters following this trend.
Finally a trend which is particularly relevant to South Africa is the emergence of mobile internet services. Many popular internet sites such as google and facebook, now how versions specifically for mobile phones. This is a trend which will develop quite quickly here in SA, due to the large portion of the population who have mobile phones but no PC's.
