<snip>License out OS X</snip>
Sorry, but that's simply not going to happen. Apple likes to have control over the hardware they develop for, hence why upgradability is a little thin on the ground. Having a set list of hardware (x86 Intel for Macs, ARM for the iPod and iPhone) makes the development process so much simpler and allows for a more streamlined and better integrated OS. Why would Apple license OS X to a public that has a much varied and unpredictable set of hardware requirements when they work on the principle of a closed hardware development environment? It just wouldn't work; Apple is not Microsoft.
You make a good point about marketshare but Jobs has said it himself, Apple just doesn't care about marketshare. They know that gaining the prevalent majority in OS usage is an insurmountable task compared to Windows. Your average Joe uses what's on his computer when he buys it, he doesn't want to worry about choices regarding OS when he orders from Dell. I have people in school that use IE "because it came with the computer" and that's what Apple can't beat.
Apple won't license OS X until all Mac sales have completely dried up and they're selling hardware at a loss. Even then, I find it hard to imagine unpacking a Dell and finding an OS X OEM disc in the bottom of the box - it just defies all of Apple's principles for providing a complete computing solution. For proof of that, just take a look at the iMac. An all-in-one computer with everything (minus multi-function printer) you could ever need contained in just one unit. Even down to Apple peripherals, all of them are a true extension of your computer: an iPod for your music library, an iPhone for your electronic communication, an
TV for your media. With all that behind every product that Apple produces, why on earth do you think they'd license their breakthrough OS?
As for predictions, I'd have to hazard a guess at a nice 3/4" thick ultra-portable laptop or a multitouch-based tablet. It'll be fun to see what they do next.
