There was a time when it seemed that every three years a person had to go out and invest in a new, more powerful computer just to keep up with the dynamically expanding abilities of their favorite software. This seemingly built in obsolescence was one of the most frustrating parts of being a computer user, especially when prices for new machines were incredibly expensive. Today we live in a new era of sorts. Upgrading your computer's software no longer necessitates upgrading the hardware along with it. With the exception of the new Windows Vista operating system and several other more high end applications, most computer users are still comfortably using the computer that they purchased five years ago. So what is the next big thing on the horizon that is going to make us all WANT to upgrade our home computers? The answer may come from many different areas of technology.
Wireless Connectivity:
One of the major hardware shifts that we will see over the coming years is the movement to "cut the cord" as much as possible between our computer and its peripherals. New wireless USB standards promise the ability to be able to relegate our larger equipment such as printers, scanners, web cams, and the like to a desk at the back of the room while allowing us to still communicate with all of these devices instantly.
Processing Power:
Chip makers are constantly trying to improve the speed and abilities of their products. We have reached a point in current chip making technologies though that has been difficult for manufacturers to improve upon. Future chip making technologies using radically different methods may permit quantum leaps in processing power and speed. In the interim, companies such as Intel and AMD are churning out dual core processors that essentially place two tiny computers on a single chip.
