Juicy predictions for '09

A group of industry pundits offer their boldest predictions for the companies, technologies and trends that will have a prosperous 2009 -- and those that won't. (And take a look back at last year's predictions to see if the experts hit the mark.)

The winners
"Dell will make a comeback. Its stock has been overpunished by the stock market downturn. Michael Dell is back on the case, and they are re-engaging with the idea of customers helping to make the product. That should help Dell avoid lower margins and excess inventory." -- Mike Dover, vice president of syndicated research, nGenera Corp. Canada, Toronto

"The biggest technology winners in 2009 will be cloud computing, SaaS and technologies that enable companies to integrate cloud computing and SaaS into their existing in-house IT infrastructures. Businesses will be pushed to find ways to add new applications and functionality to their existing suite of systems, but they will need to do so faster and with less money." -- Michael Hugos, Computerworld columnist, CIO at large and mentor, Center for Systems Innovation, Chicago

"Apple will be a big winner in 2009 with products such as the iPhone and the Mac. With Exchange integration built into the iPhone and promised for the Snow Leopard release of OS X, Apple is poised to make some strong business inroads." -- Michael Gartenberg, Computerworld columnist and vice president of mobile strategy at Jupitermedia Corp.

"SaaS will go from being a niche technology to a preferred way of buying technology. Why? Management has slashed capital budgets, dramatically reducing funds for capital expenditures. As subscription-based services, SaaS platforms generally offer low upfront costs and monthly payment options." -- Judith Hurwitz , industry analyst and co-author of SOA for Dummies

Sign up for ITworld's Daily newsletter
Follow ITworld on Twitter @IT_world

• Email
• Print
• Share
  • Slashdot
  • Digg
  • Stumble
  • Reddit
  • Newsvine