To: MulhollandDrive who wrote (20854 ) 5/26/1999 1:27:00 PM From: Dave B Read Replies (1) | Respond to
OTOTOTOTOTOTOT "Why PCs Won't Go Away" Predicting the imminent demise of the personal computer has become an annual ritual in recent years -- and each year the PC has defied the prophets of doom [insert chart shows PC sales still on the up leg of an S-curve]. This year looks set for a repeat performance. Predictions for first-quarter global sales were bad; the PC era was finally ending. In fact, sales grew at a healthy 19 percent annual rate. Worldwide, well over 100 million PCs will be sold this year. That means the world now buys almost as many PCs as color TVs. The PC has given the average American the kind of computing power that 10 years ago was found only in large corporations. Yet people now take this for granted -- and want more. They want to do many of the things they can do on their PC regardless of where they are or what device they are using -- whether it's a palm-size computer, a Web-enabled cell phone, an Auto PC or a smart television like the WebTV. A combination of sophisticated software, powerful microprocessors, wireless technology and high-bandwidth connectivity is starting to make that a reality. At the same time -- and many who doubt the PC's staying power miss this point -- the PC itself will be getting more powerful, more reliable and simpler to use. ... And the PC will morph into many new forms, such as book-size "tablet PCs." But they'll still be PCs underneath, with all the benefits of the universal PC model. PCs gave the world a whole new way to work, play and communicate. The PC-plus era will be just a revolutionary. It will take the PC's power and make it available almost anywhere, on devices that haven't yet been dreamed up. Given my job, it's hardly surprising that I'd say this. But I'm betting Microsoft's future on it.
