It came from a good source. You know the reports of certain bike shops only stocking 29ers? Don't be shocked if it starts happening everywhere in the US in the not too distant future. I'm not pleased about it, but nearly everyone is on board and there's no stopping it now.
"ONOZ! I better hoard 26er parts along with my 8 speed stuff!" is my guess as to the reply you're trying to elicit. With 9 speed components being the norm and the recent introduction of 10spd, the availability of 8 speed parts hasn't gone the way of the dodo. Not everyone is on board with the "latest and greatest". Lot's of people in the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" camp.
From what I was told, there will be a high-end and specialty 26" market, but for the average person that walks into a typical bike shop with $800 to spend, (most shops that carry bikes from the big three-Trek, Specialized, Giant) they will have no choice in wheel size.
Please let me borrow your crystal ball or consult your soothsayer so I can check to see whether the money I'm pumping into the lottery will amount to any riches. Seriously, do you really believe what this person told you? 26ers have been the standard since the beginning. It's a more versatile platform than 29ers for most folks. It's not going away anytime soon. Maybe in 50years, or a hundred, who knows. I'll be pushing daisies by then so it won't matter.
SVR - do you work for Fox News? cuz that is some sensational "reporting"
(that's me being facetious)
*disclosure* I own 26ers and 29er in both HT and FS, a 650B mtb and a 700c roadbike and I enjoy them all.