This is a good time to be in the market for computer equipment. The industry hasn't had a really new good idea in years. So they are cutting prices and perfecting tried and true products.

Flat screens are all the rage. Primarily because they save desk real estate, and have the potential to eventually be easy on the eyes. But buying today will cost you big bucks. Better models that cost less are coming soon. 

PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) handheld computers for gadgets lovers. They are small, light, getting better and cheaper. But there is no compelling reason to buy one.
 
64-bit microprocessors (CPUs) will deserve a serious look the next time you buy a PC, but they are not available today. In a few years they will make today's fastest models seem slow.

Faster Internet. Faster than anything available today, "Internet 2" is still in early development stages. This is the backbone technology required to deliver TV and movies on the Net. But it is a good five years away, and won't arrive cheap.

Microsoft's .NET Initiative. The security-patch-of-the-week company wants you to believe it can be trusted with your biggest secrets and most important documents. Frankly, they will have to earn my trust.

Shopping / Banking / Paying Taxes online is already here! Most users love it. The percentage of those refusing to try it is dropping as the word gets out.

Falling Prices. In 1982, 5MB hard disks retailed for $5,000. Today, hard disks with 60,000 times that capacity retail for $200. In 1986, 1200 kbps modems cost $700. Today 56,000 kbps models cost $15. In 1990 a laser printer cost $3200. By 1994 better and faster models cost half that. Today, the product is better and faster again, and prices have dropped two-thirds. Better later for less is a way of life in this industry. This trend will continue.