There will be a big battle in the processor world in 2009. Both Intel and AMD have announced new families of processor chips that are significantly faster then the existing Dual Core technology. You will see these chips by the end of the first quarter in high end laptops and desktops. I'm not sure who buys those high end machines. My customers are mostly price sensitive and in the recent past you really couldn't tell the difference between a 2.3 GHz dual Core and a 1.8GHz Celeron processor running Word and Excel.
The mini laptops will make a bigger mark this year. Introduced in 2008, the mini laptops have screens around 8-9" diagonal. They barely fit a keyboard in (usually with tiny function and directional keys). They usually don't have an optical drive (CD/DVD). They only weigh 2-3 pounds and fit in just about any carry on bag you have. They are priced below $500.
Prices on LCD monitors are down right now. If you want to get a better display now is the time to buy. I'm not sure we'll see any bigger sizes, but prices on the larger 19 and 22" screens are what a 17" screen display priced out in January 2008.
I heard a rumor that the Wireless N standard will finally be complete in 2009. That should drive down the price of routers and we'll see the N standard in more laptops.
Windows 7, the replacement for the Vista disaster, will be sold before the end of the year. I heard this from a Microsoft employee who is fairly reliable. Microsoft sees the handwriting on the wall - Businesses are staying away from Vista in large numbers. Even if they just rename Vista it will help anemic Vista sales.
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