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What's New in Computers - for IB Comp Sci Yr 1

What's new in the computer industry? Most significant is the fact that computers are no longer used for computing (calculation). Many more people use them for communication and information processing than for calculations. Communication has replaced computation as the central theme.

Devices

We have new end-user devices and new technologies now that did not exist 20 years ago - or even 5 or 10 years ago in some cases. Here are some examples:

*Old Technology*	*New Technology (Device)*	*Future Technology*
Telephone CRT Monitor Photocopier Film Camera Casette Tape Walkman Floppy Diskette Video Tape Paper Pocket Calendar Paper Maps CD ROM Local Area Networks Network Cables Bar Codes 32-bit CPU Radio and TV broadcasting Dot-Matrix Printer Postal Mail	Cell Phone LCD Flat Screen Scanner Digital Camera MP3 Player (iPod) USB Stick DVD Recordable PIM pocket PC GPS Navigation DVD RAM World-Wide Web Wireless RFID 64-bit Dual Core Processor Pod-casting Color Lasear Printer E-mail	?

Core Technology

Many of these devices depend on fundamental technologies, and improvements in the end-user devices follow the improvements in these core technologies:

memory (RAM) optical sensors magnetic storage radio waves

Infrastructure

Individual devices seldom function alone, in isolation. They require infrastructure to support their function. For example, the World-Wide-Web could not function without the high-speed optical fiber backbone . And cell phones require thousands and thousands of radio base-stations to relay signals - when you are in a car, you may go temporarily out-of-range of a base station and lose the signal.

Class Group Assignment

During the week of 7 Nov - 11 Nov, the IB Computer Science yr 1 CLASS should answer the following questions. The students may work together in small groups or large groups, to divide up the questions and prepare answers. The class will present their results during the week of 14 Nov - 16 Nov. The entire class will receive the same grade, based on the correctness and completeness of answers and the quality of presentation(s).

Choose 5 interesting new devices (technologies) to investigate.
For each device, answer as many of the questions below as you can.
Keep track of the sources of your information.

Clearly define or explain WHAT IT IS.
Find some measure of how popular and/or widely distributed the device is. This might include any of the following:
- How many are produced and/or sold per year?
- How many people own one of these devices?
- What percent of people in Germany (or another country or world-wide) own one of these?
- Are the customers (users) of the device generally private citizens, businesses, or both?
Describe the benefits of using the device rather than an older technology. That is, explain what it is used for, and why the device is popular and useful.
How old is the device? This has two answers - when was it first invented as a prototype, and when was it marketed (sold) widely?
** What core-technology and/or infrastructure developments were necessary to make this device possible and/or popular? In other words, why does this exist now but did not exist 10 or 20 years ago? ** (this is the Computer Science part - be sure to do this) **
Are there some disdantages or problems associated with this device? This would also include ethical or environmental issues.
What new developments are likely in the near future to change or improve this device, or make it more popular or more widely distributed?

Now find 5 NEW and EXOTIC technologies (devices) which don't really exist yet (are not sold commercially), but might exist (be sold) in the near future. Describe the technology, and explain why this new technology should become popular and describe how it will replace or improve current technologies - be specific about devices that may become obsolete as a result.

Here are some recommended sources for your research: