If it wasn’t Cringely, you’d have to laugh. His predictions for 2006 suggest a big year in … 2007 for the Mountain Viewers.

However, nobody has been bolder than Robert X in forecasting the future of Google, so we take his words to heart:

Google will continue to roll out new products and services as it builds out its infrastructure for a huge push in 2007. They’ll need money, of course, so I predict a supplemental stock offering timed with a 20-to-1 stock split. 2006 is a building year for Google. … Google WON’T go head-to-head with Microsoft for a desktop operating system or a cheap PC.

The latter point has been made on this blog, so it’s good to see Cringely in agreement.

Note to the Frog: Why is it such a pain to lift a few choice words from your column? Don’t you know intellectual property theft is the driving force of the blogosphere? Google does.

Well, it’s here at last: Google Video Marketplace. When I clicked through I was offered an unbelievably dismal selection of amateur footage, lasting less than a minute in most cases, and an old episode of McGyver at $1.99.

Really, that is just not enough to tempt me to pull my credit card out. I know they’re offering search on thousands of other items, but if they’re all of that vintage and quality, it’s Microsoft’s MTV Urge for me, and I suspect many millions of others.

Still, Google does have a habit of coming good in the end, so I’ll refrain from throwing too many brickbats until the fat lady sings.

Oh, and when is the Google Video Player arriving, Larry? I only ask because it was part of the initial package as announced at CES.

Larry Page, Google President and Co-founder, has announced a plan to offer users of Microsoft Windows XP some basic software, security and a variety of Web features. The product, called Google Pack, will help most users set up and maintain their machines in minutes rather than hours.

“Google Pack is quite exciting,” said Page during his keynote at the CES in Las Vegas on Friday. “It’s as easy as going to the Google home page.”

Forrester media and Internet analyst, Josh Bernoff immediately commented. “This is a direct action to challenge Microsoft: Google is saying we can manage the browser and other elements of the computer desktop experience better than you get now.”

Google has taken the unusual step of naming a bundle of preferred software, including security and Web service providers that will be part of its recommended feature-set for PCs.

Preferred software vendors include Symantec, Adobe, and RealNetworks. Google Pack launched with the following software downloads:

Adobe Reader 7
Ad-Aware SE Personal
GalleryPlayer HD Images
Google Desktop
Google Earth
Google Pack Screensaver
Google Picasa Photo Organizer/Editor
Google Talk
Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer
Google Video player
Mozilla Firefox with Google Toolbar
Norton AntiVirus 2005 Special Edition
RealPlayer
Trillian .

It should be noted that the Google Video Player has now been taken from the list, but this may be temporary since the Video Store has not yet launched.

Yahoo News reports: “Highlighting the potential greater scope of Google’s plan, Page told reporters after this speech that Google considered including OpenOffice, a free suite of applications supported by Sun Microsystems Inc. that would compete directly with Microsoft’s Office software suite. Instead, Google elected to keep the first package of software small. A version of new Google video store for Apple’s Mac line of computers is coming too, Page said.”

Larry Page announcing Video Store at the CES.

Announcing the company’s new Video Store at the CES in Las Vegas on Friday, Google Co-founder and President Larry Page said it would offer free programming, low-cost rentals and purchases of premium entertainment. This would include sports shows, episodes of Star Trek and every NBA league game online, for the first time.

Page announced Google will rent and sell television programs from CBS and the NBA. CBS has plans to offer three of its current programs, including the internationally popular CSI, for rental a day after they go out on air. The price mentioned is $1.99.

Yahoo News Reports: “Another 300 ‘classic’ CBS shows such as ‘I Love Lucy’, ‘The Brady Bunch’ and ‘Star Trek’ will be offered for download and outright ownership for the same $1.99 fee. Other partners include the historical video archive of Britain’s ITN and selected Sony BMG videos. Time Warner is expected to eventually participate in the video store as part of a recently expanded search and advertising deal, Google CEO Eric Schmidt added.”

The move marks a major change of policy as Google begins charging users of its services beyond search-based advertising sales. Search ads currently drive 99 percent of the company’s revenues.

Google executives denied that it had plans to enter the computer business, scotching rumors that they would launch a PC costing as little as $100-200. Initially, Google offered only Web search. That has expanded to include desktop search, communications, video and an ever broader array of software offerings, the company said.

Longer term, it seems clear that Google is trying to tie up the IP-TV business, for which it has overwhelming credentials. Google can use its “local” data to serve person-specific ads in the middle of mainstream programming. With its growing access to all our personal data, the company will soon be able to do this worldwide.

The “dark fiber” buyups, the shipping container data centers, all point this way. By cooperating with the Telcos on easing the last mile, while not competing with them (eg Comcast), and adding the “personal” element to TV, Google will have a business that revolutionizes the Internet and MSM. The beauty of this is that it leverages its core businesses: search and advertising.