Making the PC easier to use

To turn PCs into home appliances that will be accepted by most consumers, vendors believe they have to make the computers as easy to use as other home appliances. Currently, say PC industry vendors, the machines take too long to turn on and off, and it is too much work to add peripherals and connect the computers to other types of electronic devices     

Switching to a faster Internet

It is not uncommon to find people complaining about how slow the Internet is becoming now that more people are using it, particularly to transmit large and complex files, such as multimedia. There have even been predictions of an Internet meltdown due to overuse. Although data indicates that Net traffic generally moves at a good clip, it is clear that many people want faster data transmission speed now and that many others are worried about Internet speed in the future. With this in mind, Ipsilon Network and Cisco Systems are trying to generate more speed by bringing switching to the Internet. In fact, Ipsilon has already released a product (the IP Switch ATM1600) that analysts believe will make throughput several times faster than the fastest routers. Cisco expects to release Internet switching products no earlier than mid-1997