A few predictions I have collected about how the world will probably change in the next five years, and how that will affect how we live and what we do for a living.

The world has changed dramatically in just the past five years.

A few examples - smart phones, YouTube, facebook, & twitter, plus very impressive gains in computer power, with very significant price drops.

But what about the next five years?
What kinds of changes will likely affect our lives as much as smart phones and YouTube?

Here are a few predictions:

1. Smart Tablets - It is very possible that Smart Tablets which are a combination of smart phones, netbooks, video viewers and magazine readers will change the way we communicate and the way information is published and distributed.
   
   Example:
   Imagine a device like the smart tablet which is always connected to the web, As well as always connected to your stored data, always connected to TV, movies, magazines, newspapers, and videos that you can download, & rent or purchase.
   
   And imagine the smart tablet costing under $500, with a battery life of 20 hours or more, and weighing in at under a pound. (These devices are here now & will become affordable quickly, and undoubtedly change our world as we now know it)
    
2. Watch for a move away from CDs/DVDs and physical storage devices -- (already underway!) as the world becomes more and more connected to the internet, and as people move to Smart Tablet devices. Consumers will then expect instant delivery to their Smart Tablet of video, audio, and most published information.
   
   And, in most cases, this material will not be stored on the Smart Tablet, but on internet data centers the Smart Tablet connects to.
   
   Companies like Google will then act as the intermediary between the digital content producer and the purchaser, and will store digital media in private online data centers, where customers can always find the files and media they have purchased.
    
3. The proliferation of video recorders in the devices we use - within a few years, you can expect most of the devices and locations we use or visit daily will have the ability to record and even transmit high quality video. (I just received a pair of sunglasses with this capability!)
   
   These devices and locations could quite possibly include sunglasses, watches, cell phones, automobiles, Smart Tablets, stop signs, entry doors, back yards - just about every device and every location could be video enabled.
   
   And that could definitely change the way people act, their expectations of privacy, (and the scandals that might unfold).
    
4. Expect a change in what we drive - within 5 years, many of us will be driving electric cars. It may even be possible that the government mandates we drive electric cars (kind of like a forced 'cash for gas clunkers' program).
   
   With the advent of large numbers of electric cars on the road, we will find a need for more power plants, changes in where, how and the way we drive, and perhaps even what we are doing when we drive. ( In a car based culture like the US, this could bring many unexpected opportunities and issues)
    
5. More government involvement in our daily lives - It started out small, with things like federally mandated low flush toilets and florescent lights. But soon government intrusion will affect what you can buy, what you pay for it, how it is made, who makes it, how it is shipped, how much tax is collected along the way, and who can buy it.
   
   And this control of more and more elements in your life will expand into energy, health care, finance, food, education, clothing, shipping, and just about everything you can (and can't imagine).
   
   This will definitely lead to disgruntled voters, and the political pendulum will again swing in the other direction.
    
6. Migration to gentler, more affordable climates - as the US population ages, many of the 80 million baby boomers will decide they don't want to live with cold winters anymore, and can't afford to pay the taxes and expenses of living in high tax areas.
   
   This will result in the migration of people toward more tax friendly and warmer climates. But since many baby boomers have lost much of their retirement nest eggs in the economic downturns, they will be moving to much less expensive housing.

That may be one reason Warren Buffett is buying up the largest manufacturer of Mobile homes in the world -
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/78/claytonhomes.html