Given my dismal track record for guessing what the computer industry is up against, you would think that I’d give up making New Years predictions. You’re wrong.

Here’s a quick prediction for 2010: The mindless dorks who have said “oh eight” to refer to 2008 and “oh nine” to refer to 2009, will continue with saying “oh ten” for 2010.

Oh, that’s not a prediction. I see the doofs on the local PEG TV channel do that all the time. I suppose they can argue that it’s really “oh ten” because 2010 has an “oh” before the 10. But they’re really doing “oh ten” out of habit from doing “oh nine” and “oh eight” before that.

Ladies and Gentlemen: The year is 2010, which is pronounced twenty ten. Thank you.

My predictions:

• Yes, it’s pretty obvious: January will see major product announcements form Apple. (I’m going to split this up so that my review of these predictions next December will be more organized.)

• There might be an Apple Tablet. The iPad? iSlate? It’s going to be a bigger iPhone, though it may not have cellular abilities. If it’s what I’d like it to be, then it will be a television for the 21st Century. There will be apps but also video programs. One thing is for certain: Steve Jobs won’t let an Apple Tablet ship unless it’s “insanely great.”

• Selfishly, I hope that a new line of Mac Pro computers comes out. The current line is overpriced and underpowered compared to the latest iMacs. I prefer the Mac Pro for my work due to its expandability; I’ve upgraded my current (six-year-old Mac Pro) with more memory, multiple hard drives, and expansion cards. I need a Mac Pro for that expandability and — darn it — I want one better than what they’re selling now!

• It would also be nice if Apple offered some new displays. Their current line-up is really out of date with the LCS monitors cheaply and widely available. I mean, a 30″ LCD for $1800? That’s obnoxious and Apple knows it. Maybe they’ll just give up selling monitors altogether?

• Office 2010 will come out, though I get no credit for making this prediction.

• If Apple does announce a tablet computer, then I expect Microsoft to announce Tablet Windows or some such similar nonsense. Maybe Microsoft will announce the Zune tablet. Heh, heh. Zune: The Lite Beer of MP3 players.

• New case designs! It’s about time, and I’ve seen some revolutionary designs over on Gizmodo. It would be nice if they finally hit the floor. Maybe Apple will lead the way with the new Mac Pro case?

• Also, if Apple does do a Tablet, and they do it right, it will lead to the death of the Kindle. I don’t believe that the Kindle, or other eBook readers, are doing as well as the propaganda machines would like us to believe.

• My off-the-wall prediction: The return of the virus. Malware still exists, and I believe the Bad Guys are always thinking. They may finally succeed next year with a good, old fashioned, long-overdue, virus attack. I don’t hope it happens, but if it does, then I can boast about predicting it!

Beyond that, I don’t see much excitement out there. Computers are becoming a commodity, a very dull one. It would be nice to have something radically new, but we’ll all have to wait until someone is brave enough to think outside the box in a useful way.

Happy New Year!