15 new technology predictions

The editors of PC World have made their predictions about 15 hot new technologies. As they put it, "we outline the basics of 15 upcoming technologies, with predictions on what may come of them. Some are breathing down our necks; some advances are still just out of reach. And all have to be reckoned with."

Here's their list, check out the article to read their predictions.

1. Memristor: A groundbreaking new circuit
2. 32-core CPUs from Intel and AMD
3. Nehalem and swift chips spell the end of stand-alone graphics boards
4. USB 3.0 speeds up performance on external devices
5. Wireless power transmission
6. 64-bit computing allows for more RAM
7. Windows 7: It's inevitable
8. Google's desktop OS
9. Gesture-based remote control
10. Radical simplification hits the TV business
11. Curtains for DRM
12. Use any phone on any wireless network
13. Your fingers do even more walking
14. Cell phones are the new paper
15. Where you at? Ask your phone, not your friend

What's even funnier to read is their past predictions. Some were spot on while others were a real swing-and-a-miss.

Things they got right:
1983 - "The mouse will bask in the computer world limelight... Like the joystick before it, though, the mouse will fade someday into familiarity."
1984 - "Microsoft Windows should have a lasting effect on the entire personal computer industry."
1988 - "In the future you'll have this little box containing all your files and programs ... It's very likely that eventually people will always carry their data with them."

A big miss:
1987 - "When you walk into an office in 1998, the PC will sense your presence, switch itself on and promptly deliver your overnight e-mail, sorted in order of importance."
1994 - "Within five years ... batteries that last a year, like watch batteries today, will power [PDAs]."
2000 - "computers that pay attention to you, sensing where you are, what you're doing and even what your vital signs are ... Products incorporating this kind of technology … could hit the market within a year."