The internet will become the primary way for consumers to access applications and media in five years' time, according to the managing director of Virgin Media Business.

Writing on the internet service provider's official blog, Mark Heraghty said the growing prominence of cloud computing and app stores means people are making less use of storage devices such as CDs, DVDs and USB sticks.

He argued this trend is "almost certainly" set to continue in the future, meaning the web will become the most important method of viewing content and services by 2016.

As a result, modern storage hardware could become nothing more than "ancient relics" within the next decade, Mr Heraghty argued.

Cloud computing is also expected to make connectivity an increasingly important issue and network operators are already acting to cope with the growing demand by investing in 3G and 4G mobile broadband infrastructure.

Consequently, the Virgin Media executive predicted a surge in the availability of 3G and 4G devices such as smartphones and dongles.

"This'll make it easier for consumers to access sites and services whilst out and about, and help workers access applications faster when on the go," he remarked.

Mr Heraghty went on to claim the line between consumer and business technology is set to blur between now and 2016, as signalled by the demand for iPads from enterprise users.

"We may even get to a stage where most people only use one device to manage everything in their professional and personal lives," he added.

The business broadband provider's managing director is not the only tech expert to predict a radical change to the computing landscape over the coming years.

Last October, Microsoft's former chief software architect Ray Ozzie called on the company to imagine a "post-PC world" driven by the adoption of cloud computing.

Those able to picture a "plausible future" without PCs as we know them will "earn the opportunity to lead", he claimed.

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