It’s the future, and it’s happening now. Everything from the already legendary and much anticipated Sony Playstation 3 to Toshiba televisions to supercomputers, The CELL has been dubbed by Forbes magazine as the “microchip of the future.” It’s big time, folks. This chip has the potential to deliver movie-like video games and interactive tv. Its greatest challenge? Its own prowess and super powers. The problem lies in its advanced technology.

How many companies have designers skilled enough to take advantage of its capabilities? How many companies will invest in a chip that may not be compatible with lesser systems? Is it possible to be too advanced for your own good? Apparently, it’s a real problem. While Intel miraculously succeeded in the microchip market, there are at least half a dozen other companies that didn’t. Some of them touted products that put Intel to shame. Such is life. Microsoft PCs and Windows became mainstream though Mcintosh made a better computer and Linux is considered by many to be the superior operating system. It’s a combination of marketing genius, strategic partnerships, and perhaps a few underhanded business tactics.

I don’t condone Microsoft’s success, since I pretty much consider the movie Antitrust to be a somewhat accurate depiction of the software juggernaut. Perhaps the murder aspect is a bit exaggerated, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he managed to create some of his products by spying on genius developers around the country. As for The CELL, it sounds like an incredible breakthrough, and I hope enough companies see the benefits more clearly than they see the challenges. I may regret saying that in the long run, but I don’t have the foresight to know any better.

For now, I say on with progress.