When ISPs have tried offering unlimited data, the 5% of users who want to download continually switch to those companies and those companies can’t afford it. Or those companies offer a limited capacity backbone so although it’s unlimited, it’s slow when everyone is trying to use it.

Thus any ‘regular’ (with quota) users suddenly find their system is slower than they’d get on a different provider.

Oh… we also have ISPs offering quota free for some services – like iiNet has unlimited TV from Fetch, and unlimited iTunes quota & TiVo movie rental quota. So far this hasn’t been bad, but it is getting to the point where the quota deals will be important for some high-bandwidth websites.

There are numerous examples of where people have gone from “free” to “pay” (cable TV vs over-air, online news/magazines, XM radio, changes to all-you-can-eat 3G data, etc) In addition there are opportunities for new business models like the “provider” of a specific bandwidth hog paying the cost of your usage to view their content (i.e. netflix pays the fee to your ISP so that you can watch movies) But to deny that this will not happen is akin to sticking your head in the sand.

But the interesting point is that you in one sentence say that the internet is “becoming a necessity” and then later say that if bandwidth based charging happens that you would “never use it if this happens”

Which is it?

That way those who use more data pay a higher package but its only 5-10 bucks a month more. This is going to be an ugly fight but lets hope something disruptive happens to keep the internet open and free.

We have come too far from the old Dial up days to go back to be charged for how long or how much we use the internet… Frankly the idea, as a consumer, is ridiculous and makes me and everyone I’ve told furious… Technology and services should never go backwards…

The industries would take massive losses from advertising because of the loss of hits on websites that are non essentials. I would almost never use the internet if this happened… personally I know many young people that would stop as well if this happened…

Expect a letter from your ISP asking for 10 to 15 or more dollars a month if you wish to continue consuming broadband at the current level. Or take up their own IPTV offerings with no cap on downloads as the entry hook. Not a matter of if ..it is when

Regarding Apple becoming the most valuable company, it’s no wonder happening, but it’s a bubble. Apple investors are as much fanbois as anyone on these tech forums and they keep throwing in their money just to see Apple stock rise. It should burst one day, though

One home broadband provider will break the “silence” and start to charge for usage. Probably with some modest base amount of usage and then charge for the upside. They are not going to let streaming over their networks happen without a piece of the action. Once one guy goes here, the entire industry will do it.

One of the 4 big mobile carriers in the US will be swallowed up, possibly by someone who is not in the game right now.

There will be at least one very large, very public exploit of smartphones that will force people to start to pay attention to security like they do on PC’s. Also, someone will write a whopper virus or trojan that kills the “mac is immune” myth just to show Apple that they are vulnerable.

Consumers will have more IP connected things on their home networks than they every thought in the past. (OK, t his is not a real prediction. I counted mine up the other day and had 23 things that connect to my wireless network in my house)

http://www.earnmoneyfromblogs.co.cc/2010/12/top-10-gadgets-of-decade-2000-2010-that.html

I also predict that the alleged 3D boom is going to bust itself on the weakened buying power of the public. It’s just too little advantage for too much money.

Lastly, I predict that I will not buy a new desktop pc this year, but may upgrade the one I currently have if I can do it for the price I’m comfortable with. (Ok, that’s a bit of a cheat, I guess.)