Wednesday, January 5, 2011

The PC is Dead. Long Live the PC.

Expect heavy coverage from the San Jose Mercury News of the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) show in Las Vegas.


Link to January 5 San Jose Mercury News article, "The PC's reign is ending".

Excerpt: The PC has ruled the computer world for the past 30 years. But its reign is ending.

In fact, this week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas could be seen as the official beginning of the transition to a new computing era, one dominated by mobile devices, Internet-connected televisions and car information consoles.

Product announcements often point to where electronics makers think the market will go, or to where they want it to go. In the case of computers, the direction of change already is clear. The major tech companies are expected to roll out a slew of tablet computers that hope to rival Apple's iPad. Many also are expected to show off new smartphones, "smart" automobiles and "smart" televisions that are essentially big-screen living-room computers.

Smartphones are catching up to PCs in terms of quarterly sales. Tablets, which already threaten laptop sales, are expected to represent a sizable chunk of the PC market by next year.

"The PC isn't going away, but it's going to have to coexist" with other computing platforms, said Mitch Cline, global director of consulting firm Accenture's electronics and high-technology business
.  [Emphasis added, playful headline aside.]

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