Chapter List

If there is one theme underlying the developments discussed in this book, it is the impact of digital technology. Nowhere is that impact more profound than in the computer industry. This year s computer technology will unquestionably be replaced in less than two years by a technology that has up to twice the performance at almost half the cost (a phenomenon known as Moore s law ). These advances in computer technology in turn lead to advances in almost every other technology, especially those consumer products incorporating microprocessors or other computer components. The next seven chapters illustrate the speed, direction, and impact of continuous innovation in computer technologies across a wide range of computing and consumer electronics technologies.

The next chapter explores the manner in which computers have moved beyond text to incorporate the m lange of video, audio, text, and data known as multimedia. The following chapter then explores one of the most pervasive applications of a dedicated computer: video game consoles. Chapter 12 addresses the most significant emerging application of personal computers, the Internet and the World Wide...