Quite a few of us already have computers we consider fast enough to meet our needs. That's one of the big reasons why computer sales have slumped. Sure, I'd like to move up from my 500 MHz PIII to a cutting edge machine but the extra speed really wouldn't do very much for my home computer. I use it for things like word processing, a little graphics work, surfing the net, and some programming. 99% of the time, the computer is waiting for me or the net to do something. What would a 10 GHz computer do, wait faster?

That said, within a few years we'll see 10 GHz systems on the market. Odds are they'll be a different architecture like the Intel 64 bit Itanium system that's been in development for a long time. These systems might achieve backwards compatability through emulation while waiting for native mode applications to hit the market. Emulation typically cuts the effective speed by 1/3rd to 2/3rds, so the systems won't appear to be that much faster than today's high end machines. Native mode applications will run at full speed but they'll likely take a while to appear.

What will a 10 GHz system offer that today's system doesn't? Well, operating systems will continue to grow in size and features. That will allow more complex and capable user interfaces with things like full time voice recognition (that actually works). You've heard the term "heat sink", meaning a device used to absorb heat from electronics components. Well, Windows is a CPU sink. No matter how fast the processor, Microsoft will develop a version of Windows that will absorb every cycle so that it doesn't appear to run any faster than a 80386 running DOS. By then, Windows will also require 512+ MB to boot. Those 10 GHz systems might also be useful for those really into hard core gaming and video work. For some applications, there's no such thing as fast enough.

While I have my reservations about the marketability of a 10 GHz system, I know it'll exist within the next 5-7 years. Companies will always want faster servers and hard core geeks will always want a faster system. At first, they'll be described as only being for "business use" but within a year that'll be the standard home system. I've heard that "business use" line for every new processor released since the 80286.