Year of the iKiller

This year will be the year in which all consumer electronics will be judged in the shadow of Apple.

• Everyone seems to need an app shop. The shops will be judged by the numbers of applications available, and not by the quality of software provided.
• Any new tablet device will be judged by the Apple tablet. If Apple neglects to bring one out, it will be judged by how Apple would have made it... And, of course, by it's application shop...
• The new iPhone will most defiantly be an iPhone killer. 

All of this will be both good and bad for Apple. It will strengthen it's position as a market leader but will also create end-to-end user experiences (device to service) in which apple might not have a hold, or even a share. This will not be a terrible plow to Apple, as it's availability on more US carriers will, at least in the short run, compensate for that.