We want more engaging forms of entertainment, fewer limitations and more freedom. We believe that technology can help us achieve these goals. It is hard to think of many other products that are so far from what we want them to be. A can of Coke and a tube of Crest will look and function almost the same in five years time as they do today. A computer, by contrast, will likely be very different and, greatly improved.
Technology is here to stay because it works.
The traditional boom and bust cycles that afflicted technology companies in the 1980's have given way to much more moderate variations. Technology spending, which used to be the domain of the business sector, is now diversified among businesses and consumers. Moreover, technology is far more productive today that it ever was before. While ten years ago business computers were used primarily for stand-alone applications to save time and money, today they act as vital gateways to company networks and information systems. These information systems, such as sophisticated databases of customer information, are becoming critical tools that allow companies to build better relationships with customers, and do more for less.