There is no doubt that Google absolutely dominates when it comes to search engines. The company was founded just over a decade ago and has already become synonymous with the Internet. In fact, the term “Google” is now a verb that refers to the act of looking for something using the Google search engine. We don’t search the web anymore, we “Google” things! Google has been able to be at the top by creating the most innovative and functional web products while being whimsical and fun at the same time. So what will our beloved Google look like in a decade’s time? Will it become large and cumbersome like everybody’s favorite villain – Microsoft? Or will it continue to thrive with cutting edge products?
Smarter search
Even though Google is diversifying, the main focus is still the search engine. With the help of artificial intelligence, the Google search engine could become more like a personal assistant or concierge, knowing exactly what you want even if you are not able to express it in words. The search engine could become smart enough to understand the context of the search terms rather than just matching keywords.
This means that when you type in an incomplete search term, Google Search will figure out exactly what you are looking for. Currently, even tiny spelling mistake or missing words can bring up totally irrelevant search results. In the near future, the search engine will be able to understand what users are looking for based on search history and search patterns. Google Search will be able to create tailor-made search results based on a person’s interests and not just geographic location. For example, if users are looking for pizzerias in the location, the Google search engine will return results based on previous searched, recommendations on social media platforms, preferences, etc.
Google is obviously going social. Google+ is now a huge success and Google can even customize search results based on what your friends like, recommend and dislike. In the future or even in 10 years time, the search engine could introduce you to people it thinks are compatible with you. For example, Google could suggest that you connect with another person because you have so much in common with that person. However, this could get creepy on a whole new level and Google wants to avoid that at all costs.
Google will be able to understand you better
Right now, you need to type in your search term in the search bar to conduct a Google search. In 10 years time, you could just tell Google what you are looking for. Voice command assistants like Apple’s Siri are already quite successful and if Google can create a similar voice command assistant combined with its powerful search engine, it will be unstoppable. Google Search could be able to accept and understand various other kinds of input from Google glasses, microphones, smartphones, etc. to offer the user suggestions all the time based on their most current needs.
So in about a decade’s time, Google will probably prompt you with suggestion on grocery stores and supermarkets on your way home depending on your favorite items, shopping list, what is available in the fridge and pantry, etc.
Moving away from the Internet
Google has already achieved dominance on the Internet and now it has set its sights on other industries. We are all aware of its experiments with self driving cars so we shouldn’t be surprised if Google decides to enter and even starts to dominate the global automobile industry. It has the clout to market and distribute its products extensively, so any industry that it decides to enter should make its competitors jittery. In the near future, you could be sitting in a car driven autonomously by Google technology, working and connecting with people using various Google apps from your vehicle.
In the future, energy will be scarce, so Google will have to be more energy efficient when it comes to its server farms. Google co-founder Larry Page has stated that the company hopes to depend only on renewable and clean energy in the future. It aims to produce one gigawatt of energy at a cost cheaper than the same amount of coal. Who knows? Google might just be feeding the national electric grid in a few years time. The company has already made huge strides in generating renewable and clean energy for its operations. Google subsidiary Google Energy was created in 2009 to help the company reduce its dependence on traditional sources of energy and to reduce energy costs of the company.
Recently, the company bought 48MW of energy from a wind farm in Oklahoma and this year the company bought out the entire energy output of a wind farm in Sweden. This 72MW wind farm will help run the Finnish data center for the next decade.
Faster and more accessible Internet
There is no doubt about the fact that Google is working towards making the internet more accessible to everyone. It could possible make internet access either very inexpensive or free say in third world countries. Although adoption of broadband will increase in the future, Google is already working towards finding new ways to make Internet access easier and cheaper in places like Africa, Asia and South America.
Moreover, the Google Public DNS hints at Google’s commitment to making the internet faster. With its Chrome products and the Google Public DNS, the company is trying to make browsing the Internet a faster and less time consuming activity. In the future, ISPs will probably be able to offer Google Public DNS options to customers through their own servers.
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