Touchscreens and mobile devices will be the norm by 2020, according to a survey of tech experts though that may not sound so cutting edge in the year that saw the Apple iPhone take touch and mobile web to the masses, and netbooks and dongles hit the mainstream.
But can you imagine most of your interaction with the web being on your handset? Many tech experts can. Indeed, mobile phones will become the main way of accessing the net for most people around the world within 12 years, according to 77 per cent of the 1,000 tech heads polled by the Pew Internet research centre for their "Future of the Internet" study.
The survey also highlighted improvements in voice-recognition, the architecture of the internet, and more use of virtual reality. Some 64 per cent of respondents said people will interact with computers using touch, talk and typing by 2020. And four out of five respondents said the internet's infrastructure will be improved but not replaced from scratch by that time.
But it's not all a shiny utopia of tech innovations. Such advanced technology will not necessarily boost social connections and could indeed spur "hate bigotry and terrorism" according to nearly half of respondents.
In addition, the ubiquity of computing and the internet could lead to even more blurring between work and personal time, according to 56 per cent of those surveyed.
And, the ongoing "arms race" between content creators and those who illegally share content will continue into 2020, according to the report.
Janna Anderson, the report's principal author, said: "These experts' answers reflect continuing concern over the tension between security and privacy issues. They emphasise the importance of enhanced and enlightened cooperation between the leaders involved in decisions about internet architecture and policy."
