You have to run fast to stay where you are!

The New York Times has an article stating that Asian technology firms "have moved well beyond manufacturing to seize greater control over the look and feel of tomorrow’s personal computers, smartphones and even Web sites." The author says:

The investments by Asian companies have already started to pay off. At the Consumer Electronics Show this week in Las Vegas, people will see laptops that end sluggish start times and instead boot up instantly and TVs that do not require remotes because they can see the gestures of viewers. These features are a result of strategic investments in technology by Asian manufacturers.

The ICT industry has not dried up for American firms, stockholders and jobs, but the current economic crisis will help us to lose competitiveness in the industry. The developing countries have done better in the crisis than the developed nations, and will probably invest in this technology and climb "the innovation ladder".

If we want to continue to have a vibrant, exporting economy we better invest not only in ICT but in Energy, Health and Environmental industries, and push hard to develop areas such as nanotechnology, biotechnology, and the technologies of cognitive enhancement.