im is to make Internet technology central to the PC experience, but other companies riding the Internet tidal wave have their own strategies and visions. The Internet is changing the way people get information and interact. The Internet gives anybody with a computer and a modem the opportunity to reach a global audience.There are promising hints already. You can click your mouse to update or configure software, including the web browser itself. You can browse or search for answers to technical questions. Soon you'll even be able to use the Internet to show your screen to remote support personnel, so that they'll be able to see your problem for themselves. These innovations are just the beginning.Inexpensive PCs are coming. Its axiomatic that you're always able to buy more personal computer for your money than you could a year earlier. But prices have not fallen as fast as they might have, because surprising growth in PC sales volumes has kept components in relatively short supply.Simple PCs are coming, too. Microsoft recently announced an initiative, supported by many leading hardware manufacturers, to create what we call the Simply Interactive Personal Computer SIPC. It is a framework of technologies that will make the PC platform the center of entertainment, communications and productivity in both home and office.A SIPC system will be quite easy to use. It will turn on instantly, like most other consumer appliances. It will interconnect with VCRs, stereos, and TVs. And every SIPC will run thousands of Windows applications, including web browsers and software for faxing, voice messaging, conferencing, and exchanging e-mail.New-generation set-top boxes will allow television sets to retrieve content from the web, but there will be ample compromise. Usually there won't be keyboards, although remote controls can function as mice. And televisions screens don't display text well. Furthermore, nobody publishes information on the Internet for ...
