Each seven years, the I.T. industry gets a revolution, says Steve Ballmer, now CEO of Microsoft and stepping into Bill’s role as market forecaster.

Balmer told his CeBIT audience that the raw ingredients of the 5th Revolution: expanded processing power, huge amounts of storage, ubiquitous broadband, natural UI and screens everywhere.

 “Together, these five ingredients will change almost everything we do,” explains Ballmer. “So what will the world look like in 2015? I think the best way to understand the changes is to think of them in three areas: personal empowerment, social interaction and global issues.”