What do you guys think will be the next big thing to hit the computer market?

[alakhiyar]

I reckon it will be 12 core processors, or a GPU that would be more powerfull then the 8800 GTX that's cheap.

I reckon 12 Cores would be flipping awesome, and I would buy it as soon as I could, I saw an article that 10 cores would be available towards the end of next year.

Discuss.

[Aardpsymon]

well, I'd say more multi core CPUs is top of the list. Gluing two chips together has long been a trick of intel. So, 4 core is readily available right now next they glue 2 of those to get 8 core cheaply or 3 for 12 core.......

But come on, guessing what will come next along those lines is easy. Lets make things interesting and add in the next major step. You know, something along the lines of CRT -> LCD switch.

[nihil]

What do you guys think will be the next big thing to hit the computer market?

Probably a major recession. History has a nasty habit of repeating itself..........just look at the history of the automobile industry.

• Overproduction?
• Market saturation?
• Hardware development outstripping software?

[MrLinus]

Probably a major recession. History has a nasty habit of repeating itself..........just look at the history of the automobile industry.

• Overproduction?
• Market saturation?
• Hardware development outstripping software?

If you look strictly at hardware. Need to look beyond the PC. Virtualization is probably the next big, mainstream thing.

[fourdc]

After the calls that William Gibson has made, I think a cyber kinetic connection between brain and computer, getting "jacked".

Tired of mice, keyboards etc etc.

That would make the parents of hard core gamers sweat.

[nihil]

Actually, if we look at the "computer market" in the broader financial and economic context, I can envisage almost a bipolarisation.

There is an enormous potential market in the developing World, but there just isn't the personal disposable income or institutional budgets to be able to exploit it with the latest technologies and prices.

Also, by selectively cutting margins, a traditional approach, you encourage the development of a "grey economy", where goods are shipped from the cheaper market to the more expensive one.

I can see this leading to the emergence of a "budget" supply chain model for cheaper but far less functional hardware and software for sale in developing markets. This would avoid the grey economy because nobody in the more developed markets would want the stuff.

I believe that Microsoft have already started to explore this avenue with Windows.

[Drakain Zeil]

Augmented reality interface.

More or less, a projector that displays, and a web cam that tracks your hands over said display.

edit:
it does have more applications, but this will be the first (likely) mainstream application. Future applications will probably augment YOUR reality, instead of projecting a desktop onto your wood desk, which you can interact with in a tactile way simmilar to a touch screen. So, future development will project images into your eye depending on what you're looking at, and what you're doing.

That's what I see as the next big thing.

[Ouroboros]

Biometrics. Let's not get ahead of ourselves here...

[phishphreek]

If you look strictly at hardware. Need to look beyond the PC. Virtualization is probably the next big, mainstream thing.

I agree. I've been using it for years and I've just recently got permission to replace a few production machines using it. The main reason: It's great for disaster recovery. I can run multiple servers on one or two sets of hardware short term. It won't run as good as stand alone, but it'll work and it'll save us a lot of $. Considering the type of workstations we have just sitting there for disaster recovery (old workstations that have been recycled)... it will work ok IF there is a "disaster".

[phishphreek]

I can see this leading to the emergence of a "budget" supply chain model for cheaper but far less functional hardware and software for sale in developing markets. This would avoid the grey economy because nobody in the more developed markets would want the stuff.

I believe that Microsoft have already started to explore this avenue with Windows.

See, I don't understand this. Lets take Vista. You can get 4 differnet licenses. Mabye more.. I don't know. You can get a home copy that just sucks... ok, you can type up documents or surf the internet. then you can get a more advanced home copy that will give you some more multimedia features. You can get a business version that does the same thing as the home basic version... type up docs and surf the internet, but it "allows" you to join a domain. Then you can get a combination of them all... the "ultimate' version.

Why would I want to downgrade from XP Pro ro SuSe to a vista home or business version? Or, why would I want to upgrade to vista ultimate?

As a consumer, If I'm forced to do something like this... I'm going to favor saving the $ and either continue using what I was using... or upgrade to the latest and greatest of open source. Besides being able to play video games or using the windows admin tools... I don't see any benefit to using windows over some open source OS.

I just read an article about m$ trying to develop an OS and office version for the one laptop per child (OLPC) project. They're trying to develop a version of windows that costs $3. Why, oh why, would they choose to put such a crippled verision of windows on this laptop than to use the freely available linux OS? They claim its because the teachers already use m$ and its so they can be compatible... but come on! Get with the majority here. If the majority will be using linux... than the teachers should adapt...