Death of the PC?

In the January 13, 2014 issue of Time Magazine, the editors asked this provocative question:  Are we watching the death of the personal desktop computer?  The question was precipitated by the steady decline in the purchase of desktop and laptop computers as consumers shift their buying preferences to tablets and smartphones.

2010 was the game changer when Apple introduced the iPad.  It was the same moment when the sales of PCs and smartphones were dead even, with sales at 340,000,000 units sold.  This was the peak for PCs, but for the first time in personal computing history, sales have started to fall, down to 240,000,000 by the end of 2014, while tablets will match those sales numbers.  On the contrary, smartphones are predicted to reach 1 billion units sold per year.  That’s four times the number of desktop computers.

PCSalesInfoGraphic

Saying this will cause the “death” of the desktop may be overstating the case.  Too many businesses still rely on the need for full-size and fully-networked computers — that situation should continue for some time.  But the computing habits of BILLIONS of users has permanently shifted from the anchored, location-bound desktop computer to the almost unlimited freedom offered by mobile devices.

This means, of course, that if businesses want to be able to communicate (and sell) effectively to their consumers, they need to be able to deliver their message, products and services to users who may only visit their website on a small screen, via wireless connection with voice and/or touch navigation. It’s a brave new world out there — no room for slow-moving businesses that can’t (or won’t) adapt to new realities.

Where does that leave your business?  Take a few moments to read the companion articles in this series for more insight:

–       Why You Need a Responsive Website

–       How Mobile Devices Are Transforming Web Design

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