1. Sales shrink in 2008 and it's going to get worse in 2009. The first half of the year was characterized by anxiety over troubling economic indicators. The second half saw everyone's deepest fears realized as the reality of an economic crisis of global proportions set in. The semiconductor industry was not spared, as bellwether Intel downgraded its fourth quarter sales guidance and several companies announced layoffs and other cost-cutting measures. The news got bleaker as 2008 wound down -- current analysis pegs the year's chip revenues shrinking against 2007 sales, and some market watchers predict they'll sink by another 10 percent or more in 2009. The silver lining: Developers of new categories like netbooks are set to deliver improved performance at recession-friendly prices and cost-saving technologies like virtualization and energy-efficient silicon have never had more appeal.