As the media reports a record fall in sales of personal computers, Andrew Smith, Senior Lecturer in Networking at The Open University, writes about the changing needs and wants of consumers when it comes to tech…
As global technology media lament the record decline in Personal Computer (PC) sales, I am sitting here in my home office writing an article on one of many different computers we have, wondering what the fuss is about.
I have a laptop, an old PC, iPad, Xbox, smartphone and several Raspberry Pi devices. There are other consoles, media streaming devices, smart phones and laptops used by the rest of the family and occasionally my adult children return home and bring their own.
And I’m not alone. There are many out there with a phantasmagoria of technology at their disposal. It is time that we understood that the personal computer in its traditional IBM AT format with over 30 years of use is beginning to show the test of time.
In a culture that has eschewed video cassettes, cathode ray tube televisions and much more, everything moves on.
The reality is that personal computers are still used, but many individuals like you and I want accessible, easy to use tech that works for many of our social and entertainment needs.
Not everyone needs a technological behemoth that may sit there humming and gathering dust most of the time. They are more interested in lightweight, portable, accessible and easy to use tech that allows them to add and remove apps with none of the fuss and bother personal computers demand. You can write emails, compose short documents, read most stuff and access the internet from all manner of devices – why would you want a personal computer?
The tech is not dead, it is simply not going to be popular with the average individual anymore.
