The 2nd Wave of the Digital Consumer Revolution: Challenges and Opportunities!

From its commercial introduction in the 1950s, the digital computer consistently extended its performance through the application of semiconductor technology, and thus sparked a dramatic increase in industrial productivity. Then, in the late 1970s, the information revolution began with the commercialization of personal computers combined with the emergence of data networks [1]. In the 1990s, digital technology gradually began to transform consumer devices including Digital Television (DTV), digital cellular phones, Digital Video Disk (DVD), and the digital camera. Consumer devices are now being connected through the Internet, bringing in unparalleled increases in productivity and quality of life, as well as profound changes in lifestyle (Fig. 1.1.1).