What's next

10 tech trends that will shape what you buy this year

Illustrations by Oliver Wolfson.

We don’t usually talk about the future in Macworld . Our main concern is about buying and using Mac stuff in the here and now. Given Apple’s penchant for secrecy, speculating on the company’s future releases is best left to the breathless ether of the blogosphere.

But that doesn’t mean you, as a sober, responsible Mac buyer, shouldn’t think about the future. There’s the perennial question of “Should I buy now or should I wait?” There’s the tricky business of weighing what you have now against what you’ll need next year.

That’s why we assembled this guide. We asked Macworld ’s editors, contributors, and readers to consider the technologies, products, and services that are going to have the biggest real-world impact on Mac buyers in 2007. They came up with the following list of ten trends. Your life may not be changed by all of them. But chances are that at least a couple will change the way you use and buy Mac products in the next 12 months.

What's next

10 tech trends that will shape what you buy this year

Multicore computing

Chip makers have had to switch directions and look elsewhere for better performance. The latest solution: Design chips with multiple processor cores. The result: Today's big-brained chips that can do more processing than ever before--if the software is modified to take advantage of their design.
The multiple-OS Mac

At some point in the not-too-distant future, most Macs--especially those in business and educational environments--will be running multiple operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X. The question is, will the multiple-OS tools built into OS X be enough for you?
Flash memory

Solid-state, flash-based storage--the kind used in the iPod nano and shuffle--is coming to the Mac. The result could be better battery life, quicker booting, and entirely new kinds of systems.
The Net as computer

Browser-based services are becoming increasingly sophisticated and usable alternatives to the applications and data storage that now reside on your Mac. Because they're online, your apps and data are always available from anywhere, no matter what device you use to access them.
The Mac media center

Ever since articulating its digital hub vision back in 2001, Apple has slowly been assembling the pieces of that media center. The iTV--when it's released sometime in early 2007--will wirelessly connect your home entertainment hardware to your Mac, and it could be the final piece in that puzzle.
Affordable SLRs

Historically the exclusive turf of professionals and serious hobbyists, digital SLRs are fast becoming viable options for casual photographers who want to get deeper into digital photography. At the same time, point-and-shoot cameras are getting smarter.
Here comes high definition

Camcorders that can shoot high definition (HD) video are coming down in price and will continue to over the next 12 to 18 months, putting them within the reach of consumers. Software tools for editing HD video are becoming more common. The big question, though, is how do you burn that video to DVD?
Airport takes off

Thanks to Apple’s AirPort technology, every Mac is capable of wireless networking. In 2007, that technology is going to get a significant speed boost.
Living in a 3G world

Over the past year, a new option for getting online wirelessly—third-generation (3G) cellular data networks—has become increasingly practical for Mac users. In 2007, expect more hardware options, better network coverage, and (unfortunately) some confusion as new 3G network standards come on line.