Electronic Design ushers in this new year by unfurling a new look, as we embark on our second half-century of covering the electronics industry. We are as excited as ever by what the future holds. Just as 2003 represents fresh business opportunities and challenges for manufacturers, we're taking the initiative to improve our product. We believe that our graphical and editorial redesign will make the magazine even easier to read and provide you with a broader range of critical information to meet today's very specific needs.
The industry now stands at a turning point, with the slow economy hopefully becoming yesterday's news and instead many exciting opportunities grabbing the headlines. We must carefully choose the right paths to restore the vitality that earmarked this business. Obviously, it won't be easy. The economic world is quite different from two years ago. Today's challenges and objectives aren't the same as those expected at that time, had we stayed on track.
Companies try to make do with less—tighter budgets, smaller staffs, and fewer customers populating the market. This triple whammy requires that every dollar spent for product development produce a return. Otherwise, coffers will shrink still further. Every product must deliver, or even exceed, its performance goals to catch the attention of potential customers. This is truly a daunting challenge to today's scaled-down design teams, especially when coupled with the turnaround-time pressure to be first to the market, and hopefully capturing the lion's share of the business.
To help you deal with these escalating challenges, we revamped Electronic Design to provide a wider view of the industry with greater insight. Every issue will arm you with more critical information to craft the best designs possible. We're starting the year with our Top Ten Technology Forecast, an earnest look ahead for all major industry sectors. Here, we examine product and technology trends and point to key developments that you can leverage during your product definition and design.
Just as we examine all major technology sectors in this Forecast issue, each subsequent issue of Electronic Design will cover the full breadth of the electronics OEM industry. Plus, we'll expand the scope of our coverage to address important aspects of your work that impact design and technology—issues surrounding professional, legal, career, and management matters. So in every edition, you can expect a broad view of the industry buttressed by an assortment of job-related topics.
As important as what we cover is how we cover it. You will find our usual in-depth reporting, exclusive major announcements, and informative contributed technical articles. Our new format preserves all of this while adding multidimensional quick-read pages and product comparisons. The entire staff of Electronic Design is very excited about the year ahead. We look forward to delivering the key technology, design, product, and professional information you need to conquer the competitive challenges of today and tomorrow.
While we rolled out our new graphic look with this issue, you can look forward to the debut of our new editorial sections in the next issue. And more will follow later this year.