Google Maps and Ajax

Will web designers find a future market in designing online software coded with Ajax? If you have not done so yet, install Google Maps and play with it a bit. The maps load quickly, with smooth shading and impressive drop shadows. Unlike Flash based applications, there is no lag time waiting for graphics to load. Google Maps is coded using Ajax (asynchronous JavaScript and XML), a powerful rethinking of web applications that significantly improves how web pages interact with data. For the first time, online programs can rival the speed and power of programs that run natively on the desktop!

Wired.com has an excellent article on the potential of Ajax. Will it become a threat to Microsoft's dominance of the desktop?