Opera CEO Lars Boilesen predicts the future of the web

At the recently held conference, Up North Web, Opera brought its top executives to brief journalists from 18 countries around the world about the future of the web and how Opera is geared up for it.





The conference started off with a keynote by Lars Boilesen, the CEO of Opera Software. Lars outlined what the web will be like in the future. Here are the predictions:






1. All apps to become web-based


The first prediction from Lars comes as no surprise, because that's how most apps have been moving for quite some time now. Earlier, most local or network applications were made accessible over the web. Now apps are being developed purely for the web. The plethora of app stores that have followed the success of Apple's App Store are a clear indication of this trend. Apps will therefore run irrespective of what OS you're running.





2. No OS monopoly in mobile phones


There will never be an OS monopoly among mobile phones. Today, there are several different Operating Systems that are available for mobile phones, and there's only one thing that can connect all of them together-the web. Therefore, according to Opera, the mobile OS market will remain healthy and vibrant with lots of different players.





3. Proprietary technologies will die


New open technologies will emerge that would be very easy to use, such as HTML 5. CSS 3. etc. These technologies will replace proprietary tech.





4. Mobile web to outgrow desktop web


By 2015, the mobile web will outgrow the desktop web. Most new users will come from fast-growing markets, such as India, and a majority of them will connect from their mobile phones. According to Opera, as of Sep 2010, 71 million people around the world are using Opera Mini, which is a web browser for mobile phones.





5. The OS will become irrelevant


For most people, the OS will become irrelevant, especially on the mobile phones. That's because people don't care about the OS, but how they access their applications on their device.





6. All you'll need is a web browser ten years from now


Ten years from now, your device will only need a web browser. This web browser will do everything you need, including graphics, playing games, and managing your entire existence on the web.





'In the end, all people want to do is share ideas', said Lars. 'That's why Opera was created', he concluded.

The author was hosted in Oslo by Opera Software

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