4.6 2.1.2. solid state era  (Page 7/11)

Computers have been the top application for ICs since they were first invented in the late 1950s. But PC market dynamics are changing, in part because of competition from mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.Market research firm IHS iSupplier recently projected that shipments of PCs will contract this year for the first time since 2001.The tremendous growth in smartphone sales over the past five years,coupled with the rise of 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution),have reshaped the cellphone chip market landscape,with Qualcomm Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. capitalizing the most, according to market research firm IHS iSuppli.

2.1.2.4. The Internet Revolution.

In 1982, French Telecom launched MINITEL system. This was the first On-line Public Utility Service. It was the first pre-World-Wide-Web service. Customers could log-in and conduct various search and commercial activities.

On 1 ^st January, 1983, Standardized TCP/IP rolled out formally and it was incorporated in ARPA-sponsored packet networks and in Local Area Networks.

In 1989, hyper-text-transmission protocol (http) is introduced as a Website address. Web browser is introduced the same year.

By 1991, World-Wide-Web was introduced on internet without royalities. Internet is a vast network of computers, interconnected in different ways but they all speak the same language namely Hyper Text Mark Up (HTML)language. WWW is one of the applications running on Internet but it is the most significant of all.

By 1991, internat is made available to the common populace. Since then it has remained so.

2.1.2.5. The Mobile Revolution.

Analog Shrinkage doesnot proceed as linearly as Digital shrinkage but gain is remarakable. With digital you get more (more processing power and more functionality) for less (i.e.by scaling down). With Analog you get better performance wise by scalng down. 1Kg mobile phone slims down to your palm top. Base staions melted in size. Expensive infrastructure of telecom was turned into low cost consumer gear. Semiconductor miniaturization affected the entire Tel-com sector. Today in 2010 Tablet pc is becoming an universal communication appliance for getting information, for working, for learning, for transactions and for playing. How exactly this has happened.

In Figure 2.15, the typical Telecom Infrastructure is given.

Till 70s, all was analog.

Early 80s, digitization of Network Part.

Late 80s, Optical Fibers cable wasa installed on Trunk Lines-this is fiberization.

Early 90s, Packet switching was adopted as against circuit switching.

Late 90s, digitization of last mile.

Early 2000s, digitization of Terminal.

Late 2000s, wireless digiutization everywhere.

The consequences of Moore’s Law has been:

The increase in packing density from generation to generation with scaled down dimensions has enabled the integration of scaled up systems with greater functionalities and integration of bigger memory capacities in the same chip area.

The emergence of heterogenous processor chips has been the enabling technology of Mobile Revolution just as emergence of superscalar microprocessor chips were the enabling technology of Personal Computer Revoluion.