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View Full Version : Have We Reached A Tech Plateau?

Hooch Tan
04-21-2009, 03:00 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.techradar.com/news/world-of-tech/what-if-our-tech-is-good-enough--589169?src=rss&attr=all' target='_blank'>http://www.techradar.com/news/world...rc=rss&attr=all</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"Perhaps Blu-ray is the canary in the coalmine. To its makers, it's a fantastic new format, the pinnacle of home entertainment technology. To the public, it's DVD with a slightly better picture and double the price tag &ndash; and most people have decided to stick with what they already have. "</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/dht/auto/1240312286.usr20447.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p>We've seen this sort of thing happen with a wide range of technologies.&nbsp; From cordless phones to computers, many aspects of technology have relatively stagnated.&nbsp; A single core of a CPU hasn't really improved much in speed.&nbsp; Monitor resolution is generally matched to a specific size.&nbsp; DVDs still dominate video sales.&nbsp; While I see the point of what the writer is saying, it only applies to certain technologies which could be said are reaching maturity.&nbsp; While netbooks probably represent the epitomy of this, with parts that could be found in a computer several years back, there are plenty of other facets of technology which have not come close to peaking.&nbsp; Computer interfaces are undergoing constant revisions.&nbsp; Wireless access, while widespread is not completely ubiquitous nor is it as fast as some would like it to be.&nbsp; I'm still waiting for an easy to implement and use home automation system.&nbsp; This says nothing about software and websites, for which completely new ideas could come up and catch our attention.&nbsp; Yes, I'd say that while some technology has reached as far as we generally need it to be, but there are still a whole world of unexplored or barely touched technology that we haven't even touched yet.&nbsp; I think we are still in for a long and wonderful ride.</p>
Jason Dunn
04-22-2009, 04:55 PM
Indeed, I think that while there are some areas in which technology has matured, that's not to say that advancements still aren't possible - in the realm of CPUs for instance, the Atom processor is amazing in terms of how little power it uses. If yo told someone five years ago there was going to be a CPU that ran at 1.6 Ghz and used 2 watts of power, they'd be quite surprised.

The technological march continues - I think part of the issue is that as users we're now less easily impressed. Once you've created the "fire" and "wheel" of the computing world, it's not as easy to impress people with better fire and a better wheel. :)
Hooch Tan
04-24-2009, 06:02 AM
Indeed, I think that while there are some areas in which technology has matured, that's not to say that advancements still aren't possible - in the realm of CPUs for instance, the Atom processor is amazing in terms of how little power it uses. If yo told someone five years ago there was going to be a CPU that ran at 1.6 Ghz and used 2 watts of power, they'd be quite surprised.

If I'm not mistaken, VIA's been the company that really spearheaded the super low power CPU industry but the Atom definitely is a step better for now. I do wish that it was a bit more powerful, as it stands, its performance is much like CPUs 3-4 years ago, though that is improving.

The technological march continues - I think part of the issue is that as users we're now less easily impressed. Once you've created the "fire" and "wheel" of the computing world, it's not as easy to impress people with better fire and a better wheel. :)

I remember this sort of debate going on when the current generation of consoles were coming out about it just being an arms race with graphics. Then the Wii side-stepped it all which pretty much demonstrates how there are new directions technology can go that can make things more useful.