Twenty-eleven. Get used to saying it. Also get used to the last of the binary years. There was ’00, ’01, ’10, and now finally ’11. Zero, one, two, and three!

Allow me to peer into my crystal cube and see what could be coming in the world of high tech for the coming year…

The iPad 2. Yep, we’ll see it. I don’t even think that this should be a prediction. It’s inevitable. And, as is typical with Apple updates, it will piss off everyone who paid way too much for the iPad One. My guess is you’ll see a lower price, more memory, faster CPU, retina display, USB port, a better case design, plus longer battery life. The Apple Fanboys will sour and swoon, stock prices will soar.

Windows 8 Beta. I don’t expect to see Windows 8, but the beta will start smelling up the place in the fall. They may not even call it Windows 8 when it’s released, but Windows 8 will be all over 2012. It might have some new, fancy features. That all depends on my next prediction:

Microsoft Dumps Ballmer. I don’t see this item as a prediction as much as I see it as an extreme desire. Ballmer is bad for Microsoft. Getting rid of him would free the last vestiges of the 1990s / Bill Gates narrow vision for the company. There are many, many brilliant people at Microsoft. They aren’t allowed to express themselves creatively. With Ballmer gone, that potential could be unleashed. The benefits would not only extend to Microsoft, but to Windows, Office, mobile devices, and all of us.

Android Thumps the Market. 2011 will be to Android what 1995 was to Windows. It will rule. You’ll see Android all over. Perhaps even some Asian tiger will try to do a sub-notebook based on Android.

I was waiting for some titan to take on Windows and Microsoft. Google is the ideal candidate. Chrome OS is dead. Android OS might be forced onto a desktop from its mobile arena. But maybe Google will wise up and release a version of Android for desktops? Who knows?

Net Neutrality Fiasco Continues. Here in the States, we may see an abatement of so-called net neutrality. Congress is already grumbling about bureaucrats overextended their bounds. Even so, Net Neutrality isn’t dead. It will zombie on us big time. Shackles are coming for the Internet. It’s inevitable because small minded people are in positions of power and small minded people do not like freedom.

Mac OS X Lion Unhappiness. I don’t plan on updating my Mac to OS X Lion. That’s because I believe it’s the first step in Apple strangulation of its desktop computer market. Limitations seem to be working for Apple’s mobile gizmos, but I dread such a ‘walled garden’ for the desktop. I shan’t upgrade because of that. I’m sure lots of others will refuse as well.

The Migration to Mobile Computing Devices Continues. PC sales will drop or stay even, but mobile gizmos will take off. Most people don’t need a full-power computer. You’ll see smartphones explode over the next year, along with tablets and other mobile gimzos. It’s the dawn of a new age.

Off-The-Wall Prediction: Korea This isn’t a computer prediction, but I see one Korea by the end of 2011. I seriously believe that the days are numbered for North Korea. Behind the scenes, you’ll see the U.S. and China work something out. Hopefully all those people in North Korea can be saved from the abuses of their own government.

See you in 2011!