Yeah... I'm not entirely convinced about this future. * PCBs are cheaper to manufacturer than silicon wafers. * PCBs can be arbitrarily created and adjusted w

Yeah... I'm not entirely convinced about this future. * PCBs are cheaper to manufacturer than silicon wafers. * PCBs can be arbitrarily created and adjusted with little overhead cost (time and money). * PCBs can be re-worked if a small hardware fault(s) is found. * PCBs can carry large amount of power. * PCBs can help absorb heat away from some components. * PCBs have a small amount of flexibility, allowing them to absorb shock much easier. * PCBs can be cut in such a way as to allow for mounting holes or be in relatively arbitrary shapes. * PCBs can be designed to protect some components from static damage. What I can see on the other hand is some packages end up being dropped into the PCB and soldered at the sides. Sometimes this is done with large through-hole capacitors, where the legs are bent and the capacitor sits in the middle of the PCB (inside a cut hole). Other than ball packages, you could could probably drop the majority into the PCB itself. The other obvious option for manufacturers will be to put more tech on a single die, but then other problems are also raised. For example, some parts are binned based on their tested results.