THE NEXT 50 YEARS - SOME LIKELY IMPACTS OF SOLID-STATE TECHNOLOGY (REPRINTED FROM BELL-LABS-TECHNICAL-JOURNAL, PG 1-14, AUTUMN 1997)

What does technology hold in store for us in the second half-century o f the transistor's existence? In an attempt to provide at least a part ial answer to this question, this paper projects 12 present day trends into the coming decades. Fueled by exponential growth in the capabili ties of electronic circuitry and the communications fabrics that inter connect them, the future promises a world of pervasive interconnection , customized products and services, much help with complexity, and exc iting new appliances. Although this projection holds few individual su rprises, the totality of what looms likely just one human generation f rom today amounts to little less than a fantasy world.