Gartner has made 10 predictions it says will affect IT and business this year and beyond. But some analysts say those predictions are already here.

Trends “indicate a strong focus on individuals, the environment and alternative ways of buying and selling IT services and technologies,” said Daryl Plummer, managing vice president and Gartner Fellow.

Apple Doubles Up

The research company predicted Apple will double its U.S. and Western Europe market share in computers by 2011. Apple’s gains reflect as much on failures in the rest of the industry as on Apple’s success, the firm said.

Apple is challenging its competitors with software integration that provides ease of use and flexibility, more frequent innovation in hardware and software, and an ecosystem that focuses on interoperability across multiple devices, including iPod and iMac cross-selling, Gartner said.

“We’ve got a reinvigorated Apple Computer that’s poised to be a strong, relevant player in the marketplace. It’s not about whether it’s double market share or triple market share,” said Michael Gartenberg, an analyst at JupiterResearch. “It’s about consumers having a strong, viable alternative to Windows. Apple has exceeded its reach beyond its traditional core audience to a whole new set of players.”

Laptops Get Left Behind

By 2012, Gartner continued, 50 percent of traveling workers will leave their notebook computers at home in favor of other devices. Even though notebooks continue to shrink in size and weight, travelers will lament the weight and inconvenience, the firm predicts.

Vendors are developing new classes of Internet-centric pocketable devices at the sub-$400 level, as well as server- and Web-based applications that can be accessed from anywhere. There is also a new class of applications that allow users to re-create the Web environment across multiple locations or systems.

“We already have more people leaving their laptops behind because they can get communication and collaboration on portable devices,…

Tags: Apple, application, business, computers, consumers, Environment, Hardware, Innovation, Internet, research, Software