Dell Exec Says PC Has Bright Future
By CONNIE MABIN
.c The Associated Press
AUSTIN (AP) - The personal computer is here to stay and will become more portable to meet the demands of mobile customers, a Dell Computer Corp. executive said Thursday.
``The demise of the PC has been greatly overstated,'' said Carl Everett, senior vice president of Dell's personal system group. ``We're still shipping 100 million personal computers per year, so the business is very healthy.''
According to International Data Corp., an independent Internet research firm, worldwide personal computer sales are projected to increase 18 percent from 1999 to about 130 million units sold this year. Another 145 million are projected to sell worldwide in 2001.
Dell made its fortune selling personal computers directly to consumers. The nation's No. 1 PC maker has earned $27 million in revenue over the past four quarters.
Within three years, Dell and other computer makers will be manufacturing smaller, faster PCs and compatible portable devices such as cell phones and notebook computers with antennas, Everett said.
Easier and faster access to the Internet is also a top priority.
``We're going to see the computer organize itself around the individual and where he wants to go instead of the individual organizing himself around the computer,'' he said.
Partnering with cell phone service providers and manufacturers also could be in Dell's future as wireless phones become better able to help portable PC users connect to the Internet.
``I think that's a great big opportunity for us,'' Everett said. ``And I'll just leave it there because we've got to work the deals.''
Dell's strategy for new products includes a new ``e-support'' feature, which requires its PCs to have a button that allows customers to connect online with Dell to diagnose and fix problems.
The Round Rock-based company's other plans call for improved operating systems, including an enhanced Windows 2000, systems that boot up faster and integrate more cable modem and other broadband accessories into the PC.
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