What is the future of computers according to Bill Gates?

Answer 1

Computers have come a long way in the last 50 years. In 1963, computers weighed hundreds of pounds and were the size of refrigerators. They were slow, cumbersome and cost so much that only big businesses and the U.S. government could afford them.

Today, computers are everywhere -- on our desks, in our laps and in our pockets. Computers play games and movies. They connect us through sight, sound and text while providing us instant access to virtually the sum total knowledge of all mankind. And they're so cheap they're now found in almost every home in America.

But this is just the beginning. As amazing as the last half-century has been, experts tell us that computer technology is still only in its awkward adolescence. What can we expect from computers in the years ahead? Predictions include:

Wearable Computers. Google is already developing computer-enabled eye wear called "Google Glass" that will allow you to access the Internet via voice commands. [1] Apple is reportedly working on a computer you wear like a wristwatch. [2]

Computers on a Chip. David Patterson, professor of computer science at University of California, Berkley, predicts that by 2020, all computer components will be able to fit on a single microchip. [3]

A Cure for Cancer. Patterson also predicts that computer-driven advances in genetic sequencing and Nanotechnology (microscopic robots built one atom at a time) will allow us to successfully cure most cancers on a patient-by-patient basis within 10 to 15 years.

Thought-Driven Computers. Apps like Google can already be accessed via voice commands. But experts tell us that, in the not-too-distant future, we'll be communicating with our computers via pure thought. We already have prosthetic -- artificial limbs -- that can be controlled this way.

Quantum Computers. The limits to which microchips can be miniaturized are expected to be reached by the middle of this decade. After that, computer engineers will start working in the Alice in Wonderland-like sphere of subatomic -- or quantum -- physics. The math gets a lot trickier here, but if what scientists are telling us is true, the entire civilized world will be one giant, interactive, thought-controlled computer network by mid-century. [5]

The Singularity. "The Singularity" is the theoretical point at which human intelligence and Artificial Intelligence become equal. Our leading futurists argue about the year in which this event is likely to take place, but most agree it will occur sometime between 2030 and 2050. What happens after that? No one can say for sure. But we're told there will be an "intelligence explosion" that will make today's computers -- and the benefits they provide -- look like stone hammers. [6]

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