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Bye, bye, PC?

HIROKO TABUCHI

Associated Press

Latest comment posted at 3:37 PM EDT 06/11/07

Personal computer being pushed aside in Japan by array of gadgets with similar power, speed ...Read the full article

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  1. Angry West Coast Canuck from Canada writes: Relatively well done article actually.

    Music. Email. Chatting. Messaging. Internet browsing. From my experiences in Japan, that's what many of the people there want from their tech. In Japan, the mobile phone provides all of these. With data rates for mobiles far below what we pay in Canada, and mobile phones whose features are years ahead of the miserable crap we get here, they can get all that with their phones and one or two other gadgets.

    Given that the monopolistic operating system on PCs, as elsewhere, is still MS Windows in Japan, it's no surprise they're looking elsewhere, anywhere for something that actually works. They use PCs at work, but they don't take their work home and thus don't need that crap. None of my in-laws or friends have PCs - they can do almost everything they need to do using mobile phones.

    Meanwhile, here in Canada I'm stuck using PCs, because our mobiles are archaic (my six year old European phone has equivalent features to current Canadian phones, and the Japanese are ahead of the Europeans), and our data rates horrendous ripoffs. We have the 2nd or 3rd highest prices in the world, don't we? All thanks to the Bell/Telus/Rogers cartel that our dear corrupt government (Tory/Lib/etc. doesn't matter) refuses to look into because the cartel contribute so much to the party coffers.
  2. Mr. Hab from Singapore writes: dam...I thought this was an election headline...
  3. john doe from toronto, Canada writes: Intriguing article... Whatever trends you see in Japan eventually happen here, about 2 years later.

    Mr Hab: Harper got rid of the "progressive" in his party takeover of the PC years ago...
    _____________

    Mr. Hab from Singapore writes: dam...I thought this was an election headline...
  4. Philip Van Bergen from Hashima, Japan writes: Roger's and Bell and Telus are stone age! Literally STONE AGE when compared with Japan and Europe. I couldn't believe that they charge for incoming calls!!! Unbelievable!! In Japan the cell phones are modern,
    and the rates are reasonable. Canada is really in the dark ages and unfortunately with no CRTC oversight like most countries have, there is no recourse.
    My Japanese cell phone allows me to surf the web and send e-mail and text at a very reasonable rate, so it is no wonder that most Japanese aren't stuck to their pc.
  5. M T from Ottawa, Canada writes: Most students in Canada are expected to have a PC at home to do their school assignments. The main application these students need is word processing. I'm just wondering how advanced are the word processing features in these new cell phones?
  6. Michael Powers from Canada writes: I come from an era that did not have TV in the general population until I was 10 (1952) and the first computer that I heard of was in the election of John F. Kennedy when Univac (18K Memory) called his election about an hour after Walter Cronkite did. Every Tuesday, before going to school, my family would turn on the TV and watch American's first attempts at space exploration blow up on the gantry. To make a phone call required going thru an Operator.
    After reading this story and some of the comments, all I can say is - So, whats the story here? Evolution continues and everything changes. Compared to advances of the recent past, this is nothing - get used to it.
  7. J Law from Canada writes: Michael Powers from Canada
    Michael, you like I, are older people not supposed to be thinking in terms of feeling comfortable with a changing world. If you keep up the talk like this you will dispell a myth.
  8. harry schmidt from Shanghai,China, Canada writes: Old people like me still don't liked to be ripped off by our local phone co. Like wanting to make an overseas from my mobile, I'm told by the friendly operator that I would have to dial a number which I did. But several times they kept me waiting on my mobile for 20 or more minutes; that costs me money.
    Go to a developing country like China, you use your simple mobile phone in downtown anyville or from a mountaintop, and bingo you'll be connected to your loved ones in Canada in less than half a minute. Now, that's service. "Collusion Radio & Television Commission" please help the consumer, and not the fat cats like Bell, Rogers and Co.!
  9. Stude Ham from Outremont, Canada writes:

    the vast bulk of the consumer population does not really know the uses of a computer other than as an entertainment medium. and they don't use the computer in a manner that requires any particular knowledge level other than pushing the off/on button. So why bother with a desk/lap top pc when all the desired mind numbing goodies are available in shrink wrap form?
  10. Vern McPherson from writes: Nonsense. Japanese are notoriously faddish. So is the youngest generation everywhere. I don't care what a little phone can do. It cannot replace a PC. It may imitate a PC but that is all. If all one is doing is sending little kid coded messages a PC may not be requred but when doing serious browsing or research or creating or real work a PC is mandatory.
  11. Bill H from London, Canada writes: Michael, J Law, and Harry. Good to hear that I am not the only fossil around here. I can remember our first TV in the 50s. It was the size of a small chest and had a 10 inch green screen. My uncle, in the radio and TV repair business like many other vets, brought it down on Thanksgiving day, and what did we watch - you bet- football! I think that was before our first dial telephone. My first commercial airplane trip was on in a state-of-the-art Viscount turboprop and the arrival of the first Boeing 707 was akin to the first shuttle flight for younger people. But then, my father, born in 1910, remembered horse-drawn fire-fighting equipment.

    What's the point? Only that techology has come a long, long way in the past 100 years. And I don't see it slowing down in the forseable future. The first computor I used in the early 60s was a DEC10 - the size of a small refrigerator with computing power probably less than a $10 hand held calculator today. I don't see a move away form PCs a particularly startling piece of news.
  12. Philip Van Bergen from Hashima, Japan writes: M T from Ottawa, Canada writes: Most students in Canada are expected to have a PC at home to do their school assignments. The main application these students need is word processing. I'm just wondering how advanced are the word processing features in these new cell phones?

    Good point. Japanese students are banned from using word processors for essays and assignments, because it makes them lazy and forgetful at writing all their 'Kanji' (Chinese characters).
    Cell phones here are really a pleasure to use, and are always on,
    so emailing or playing games are their main selling points.
    I just got a new cell yesterday and it was free. It only costs $75
    a month for my wife and I to use, so it isn't too pricey.
  13. David R from Canada writes: Japan is slightly smaller than California and a population of 127 million. Give its small size and huge pop, its no wonder they have they better a cell network than Canada. Being the largest country in teh world and given your 30 million its going to take time to expand any cell network. And canadians are cheap and have one of the best and cheapest landline networks which limits the need for cell use.
  14. Nathan Cool from Vancouver, Canada writes: The Japanese constantly have their faces in their mobile phones, but they have vastly more processing power and useful applications than ours. They are also HUGE by North American standards.

    This isn't going to catch on in Canada while the mobile companies post record profits and refuse to invest in the latest network technology. Our transmission speeds are pathetic and we're paying double the monthly fees for that terrible network performance.

    I have a Nokia N95 that is capable of video calling and a whole host of other cool features that can't be used in Canada because our phone companies are raping us for a terrible product.
  15. Karl Junkin from Tokyo--Toronto, Canada writes: M T from Ottawa almost touched on a significant point that this article neglected completely.Language InterfaceThe Japanese have their own character system that is waaay different from English. QWERTY keyboards, which are the standard in Japan like elsewhere, are not friendly for Japanese input, and this does impact the practicality of PCs for Japanese users. By contrast, the cell phone language interface is fabulous for Japanese, but is absolutely awful for english. As a bilingual, I often find myself writing english emails from my PC, and Japanese emails from my mobile phone, even though I could do either or from either device, the interfaces have a huge difference in efficiency and user-friendliness by language. Another significant note that has already been touched on by some of the other posters, is that the Japanese as a culture have a love for simplicity - simplicity is something that PCs do not exactly radiate. In a couple years, online shopping is going to be possible through your TV with your remote control in Japan, likely to win over the PC keyboard or mouse. Fewer buttons is a plus in Japan. Contrary to popular belief, while Japan is definately high-tech, they are, ironically, not that computer savvy, overall, as a people.
  16. L I from Canada writes: If all you do with your computer is cruise around websites, watch videos, check email, play games and listen to music this article is absolutely correct. If you have any more complex tasks to do it is unlikley that you will ditch your PC for a cel phone.

    In fact, all this really says is what people have been saying all along, computers have been commodified. They are now like your toaster. You need it to do it's job each day, but you don't particularly need the newest and latest offering to do so. This is great news for consumers, not so for producers who will have to continue competing on price.
  17. M B from Canada, Canada writes: "M T from Ottawa, Canada writes: Most students in Canada are expected to have a PC at home to do their school assignments. The main application these students need is word processing. I'm just wondering how advanced are the word processing features in these new cell phones?"

    Word processing requires little in terms of processing power. The problem is not that the Japanese students don't have computers at home (the article mentions they do) rather their old computer will do. Traditionally, the main driver of computer sales is not people upgrading computers because their old computer was too slow for Word, it was teens and young adults upgrading their computers because their "old" computers (i.e. 2 or 3 years old) were too slow to run the latest games. If you play your games elsewhere, then you can keep your old computer much longer if all you have to do is write a term paper.
  18. David Harrison from Canada writes: M B has it right. We're at a point where pretty much any computer is perfectly fine for the uses most home computers are put to, particularly if you game on a PS3 or XBox instead of the computer. There are exceptions, of course: serious photographers, video editors, strategy/simulation gamers (where the games are still largely PC only), etc - but most users can do what they want with an old PC just fine. This isn't a huge shock - it just means that after several decades, the hardware has finally caught up to users' expectations and we're achieving some measure of stability.
  19. Ingrid Zemitis from Canada writes: The title of the article is an overstatement, but I think the point is that there isn't the big rush or need to get the LATEST PC as there used to be. I just purchased a PC for our small business, and selected a used computer for a bargain price rather than buying a new one for a whole lot more. It's an old HP, perhaps even very old, which I judge from the fact that it weighs a ton and has a floppy drive! But it's XP Pro, has more than enough memory and disk for my needs, has USB and internet connection; I just had to put in a DVD. Cheep and cheerful! (The little voice in my brain is whispering that the heavy weight may even indicate better quality from the "good old days". ) So the point is not that the PC's gone. It's just that the product has come far enough along that there is no added benefit to the latest/greatest. I too would rather have a new cell phone, IPOD, and a better digital camera!
  20. Paul Chapman from Laputa, Canada writes: Cheap, high-speed universal wireless will be the final death of the PC, I'm pretty sure. PCs are already becoming almost unmaintainable, groaning under the load of viruses and the complexity that comes from the expectation that one box will do everything we need.

    In the past, having one do-everything computer made sense, because they were expensive and it was a pain to move data around. This doesn't apply anymore, and it's just taking the Grim Reaper a while to catch up.
  21. Pete Kauchak, Red Tory from Cascadia, Canada writes: If they don't have PCs then how do they do word processing for term papers for school?
  22. Fluorescent, Yellow, Plastic Bowl from the dollar store from Japan writes: Yup. People work on 'puters all day long at the office and only the hard-core care to continue to do so in their leisure time. Also with the Japanese scripts the keyboard isn`t the king it is with the roman alphabet. People here are almost as fast it seems from their keypads. Now as for all the wonderful creative ways a PC can make our lives better...well I`m starting to wonder about that. I`m starting to get the feeling that many people don`t have the time or energy to properly learn and use a lot of the software out there. More often I`m guessing that many just bang and click away rather haphazardly and let the puter direct them rather than vis versa. Sure the various templates will allow them to end up with something snazzyish to show their friends but how much of that happened at their own behest. This kind of process is okay for a parlour trick but unless you are truly directing your own creative decisions you will quickly get bored with the happenstance. I believe that a lot of the software is way too cumbersome, making the user wade through too many unnecessary options while other seemingly necessary ones are conspicuously absent. The myth that anyone can be a musician or artist or designer if they just buy the software is growing thin indeed. Power doesn`t mean anything if you can`t control it so why not do away with the software altogether and stick with the shrink-wrap products.
  23. A. Nonymous from PC Ville, United States writes: I don't think the PC will go away any time soon. Unlike cell phones, and other gadgets that rely on other third party networks, that charge by the message, character, song, whatever, I actually 'own' my PC.

    What most people don't realize, is they don't own their cellphone, the network does. They decide what applications, upgrades you MUST receive. Don't like it, too bad.

    You don't really 'own' your data on a cellphone either. Everything is stored on the SIM card, guess who owns that.

    I'll stick with my trusty PC, that I have full control over, thank you very much. Or at least until Microsoft decides to remove the 'peronal' from 'Personal Computer'
  24. andy c from Canada writes: as others have mentioned current PC's have a longer shelf life. gone are the days where computer bought 2 years ago would be completely obselete. i'd say any computer bought in the last 5 years is good enough for email, web and office apps. another point to consider is that it's much much cheaper to upgrade a computer then to buy a new one. my current computer is 5 years old and the only way i will be replaceing it is if the cpu or mobo dies.
  25. Cynthia C from Toronto, Canada writes: Cellphones are great for text messaging and to hold music, but the screens are much too small to handle long emails and to surf the net. I hate to have to scroll!
  26. VANQUISH V12 from T'rana, Canada writes: I just purchased a phone which has hardware in it that meets or exceeds that of my very first computer back in 1997. I can watch videos, browse the internet, listen to the radio or mp3s, read a book, and it has mobile versions of Microsoft Office in it. Once they figure out a more ergonomic interface for note taking and internet browsing, I don't think I'll ever get a real computer again.
  27. Dave C from Canada writes: Read the article and read between the lines, people. We're talking about household PCs for the CONSUMER market here, not your standard run-of-the-mill corporate-issue laptop, which is a COMMODITY item. You don't need a Cell-class graphics processor to run e-mail, Powerpoint or Word, and likely never will, hence the slowdown in enterprise hardware replacement cycles. Similarly, around the world, many schools and school boards now offer similar COMMODITY-GRADE laptops to their students via either group sales, lease or straight-out loan, with enough muscle to handle those tough, tough homework assignments. So the point of the article is the impending decline of computers designed, manufactured and marketed to the CONSUMER market. When you have a boring old notebook issued by school or work for Microsoft Office, there is less and less incentive to spend your own hard-earned dollars buying another machine, when your personal MySpace/Facebook/e-mail/messaging can be handled on your Blackberry-Mobile Device-Smartphone, games are released first for the PS3/Xbox/Wii, and other forms of data (pictures, photos, videos, music) can easily be shunted back and forth between the internet and your digital media player, digital camera, and so forth. The PC (and increasingly, the notebook in particular) will always be a stalwart of business and education. The article is correct in predicting in a decline in the importance of the "home computer" as a centerpiece of CONSUMER spending. It may be happening first in Japan, but if you look hard enough, you can see it beginning to happen in North American and Europe as well. Those of you with "work machines", a Blackberry, and an Xbox for the kids - when was the last time you shelled out big bucks for a home computer?
  28. Dave C from Canada writes: Put another way - look at spending on a "home computer" as a percentage of household discretionary spending 15, 10 and 5 years ago versus other electronic devices. Now look at how much the average tech-savvy household spends on a PC versus game consoles, digital-ready televisions, digital cameras, iPods and other media players, mobile phones and handheld data devices. Apple Computer, Inc. dropped "Computer" from their name for a reason. There's little money in PCs these days.
  29. andy c from Canada writes: A. Nonymous from PC Ville: not sure which cell phone you are using but have you seen some of the newer smart phones out today? loads of memory for storage and most will sync to a pc or wireless network to allow you to download or install what you want without the need for a data plan or to go through a wireless carrier. i agree PC's will NEVER go away but for a lot of basic tasks a pc does there are alternatives
  30. Dick Lenning from Edmonton, Canada writes: I guess I am "behind the times" because I use my PC as a television (I'll be getting a widescreen 32" LCD shortly,) gaming console, Internet browser, DVD player/maker, PVR and phone (Skype.) And that's not even all the possibilities. Of all people, I would have expected the Japanese to use their PCs to their full potential.
  31. Sherlock Holmes from Canada writes: A PC is not just for music,games, video... its also for doing homework, word processing, gaming, programming (remember ... college students actually have to study), animation development, data processing (excel..)
  32. Joe Calgarian from Calgary, Canada writes: Um, ok, yes I can surf, email, and chat on my cell phone. But the big question is why in the heck would I want to?

    Hey, I can download Spiderman 3 to my iPod and watch it - again why?

    At home I have a 24" monitor running at 1920x1200 - much better than any console or even Hi-Def TV - it has the computing power of a supercomputer, and because it's a Mac it looks stylish as well.

    All the k00l kidz can keep their lame cellphones thank you very much.
  33. Geriatric Personage from NB, Canada writes: I travel fairly widely and quite honestly Canada is the last place I would opt for a cell phone or high speed internet. Way behind technology, excessive charges, SLOW, SLOW bandwidth (for a premium price) plus of course, as mentioned elsewhere, the prime OS is useless, last week was the firth time in just over a year I had to re-install XP 64 bit. Unfortunately Canada is falling far, far behind in the technology race due to lack of Federal policy.
    A note to VANQUISH V12 from T'rana, I bet your new phone is about 3 years behind in the technology available in any off the shelf phone available in the UK or Korea or Japan, even in Brazil (classed as a third world country) phones are at least 18 months ahead of the latest Canadian offerings.

    PLUS of course a flat screen display with decent resolution now costs about $3000, two years ago it was nearer $300 as a CRT
  34. David K from Guelph, Canada writes: This old (?) codger is having difficulty with the concept of doing all the things I do with my Mac on a phone. Not from a technical point mind you. I understand the power of these new devices but I can't see that I would have much pleasure peering at a tiny screen when I can view the same item on a nice big one. Besides, when I go outside I want to leave all that sort of thing behind. For me desktops rule, OK?
  35. Crashing Casey from Blind River, Canada writes: Wait until all these cell-phone users get older and have to try reading their text messages on those tiny screens of their cell-phone. Try typing on a tiny keyboard when your knuckles get fat and arthritic.
  36. Sylvia Wilson from Canada writes: Wireless technology is bringing the Internet to places like Africa. Africa's East/West physical telephone lines are owned by a single monopoly. Third world countries are being left in the dust by more developed countries, but with the advent of wireless technology and telephones connected to the Internet, they'll soon catch up. It's too much money for most people to buy PC's, but hooking up with a wireless telephone is growing in leaps and bounds in less developed countries.

    What has to happen is long distance needs to be eliminated and the internet meets that goal by providing service at a much reduced fee that includes world-wide coverage at a modest price.

    Because I can afford it, I will continue to keep my PC up-to-date with technology, but I welcome users from countries that don't have the luxury of not living in a wealthier country.
  37. John Smith from Ottawa, Canada writes: Of course the PC is dying among passive consumers. When the main focus of the consumer is to download music and movies, well it says volumes. Then there is the download of movies. There is nothing more exhilarating than watching Lawrence of Arabia, The Godfather or Apocalypse Now on an iPod with a 2" screen.
  38. Sylvia Wilson from Canada writes: If I were a manufacturer. which market would I choose...global as opposed to country specific! Many more people globally buys more stuff!!! Individual countries and manufacturers if they are smart will tailor their devices to the global market. Countries that lag behind will regret that decision and do everything in their power to join the community of world-wide peoples!
  39. R. M. from Regina, Canada writes: Certainly makes sense.......youth in particular don't want to be stuck sitting all day and this gives them the mobility and connectivity they want.......neat how things evolve.....wait until we get implantable chips and we won't need any external device....we will be the device!
  40. J M from Canada writes: Could care less what the "trend" is. I need a PC and would rather have a powerful PC than a phone with more stuff than I know what to do with. For the average person who only wants to listen to music and snap photos and email than a phone will work but for anyone wanting to do anything creative a good PC is a must.
  41. Bobby Dang from Ottawa, Canada writes: Mobile phones are increasingly converging to the smart-phone space. Therefore, PC demand might be waning, but the Von-Neumann architecture is still being ported to different form factors.

    Eventually, all gadgets will be able to interface with each other using an universal open protocol, and the concept of a computer will be distributed, and not local.

    In the Information Age, the exemplary gadget is the tri-corder {star trek}, and its design is coming closer to market.
  42. emilio D from Vancouver, Canada writes: How can you send an e-mail through a plasma tv? It is not going to happen. We still need the internet to do our on-line business. PC is here to stay especially if the Internet is going to be re-invigorated by a faster system soon. The only thing will happen is China and Taiwan will take the biggest chunk of the PC business and later on also bite on the TV and cellphone business from the Japanese. Korea is already dominating the cellphone and the television line- Samsung and LG. The reality is Japan is on a downward slope on electronic
    technology and losing their grip on their Asian counterparts.
  43. M B from Canada writes: People seem to be missing the point. It is not that people are taking their old PCs and throwing them out to replace them with cell phones and so forth, it is that they are replacing them less often. The computer that I am using is 5 years old, yet I see little improvement in speed when I switch to a new computer (I don't play the most recent games and my old PhotoShop works just fine on this computer). Why should I switch? For the consumer, buying a new computer every 2 or 3 years no longer makes sense. However, if you are in the business of selling computers this is not good: if your market is already saturated and people wait twice as long before buying a new computer, that means you will be selling twice fewer computers.
  44. Michael Soft from Windows, Canada writes: Sylvia Wilson from Canada writes: "It's too much money for most people to buy PC's, but hooking up with a wireless telephone is growing in leaps and bounds in less developed countries."

    Sylvia, Japan is a much more developed country than Canada and USA. Compared to them, canadians and americans are like living in stone age!
    What you are seeing in Japan is likely what is going to happen in other slower developed countries like Canada, in a decade or so. Smart manufacturers look at long term trends for planning.
  45. s k from Toronto, Canada writes: What I'd like to see is a seamless merging of my PC with my audio/visual equipment, not just as a server. I want the computer to run everything and just swap out cards as technology advances. No more buying new boxes. I also want it all wireless and be able to stream different TV stations to monitors in other rooms.
  46. Normand LaBine from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada writes: I've been writing software for mainframes and PC's and Networks up until 2003. I still write utilities and graphics tools for our family business, and firmly believe that the flexibility for a person with some knowledge of the developer tools today can empower personal creativity a whole lot more than all the fad widgets.

    If anything the PC makers have failed dismally by not pressing the Appliance makers to relieve the wasted energy in all the displays in appliances and having them driven by the PC. The alternative for consumers is to connect all the low-voltage circuits (needs rewiring) to a small, low voltage solar panel and battery source.

    If they do lose market share, it will be similar to the North American auto industry fighting the Asian Invasion, AGAIN! They've lost their own markets to countries with no raw materials in the front yard and its still cheaper??? What's wrong with these industries?
  47. RD Lone from Vancouver, Canada writes: Good article, I found the comments to be generally of high quality as well.
  48. robert F from Toronto, Canada writes: Well, won't happen for a long time in Canada. With outrageous costs on your cell phone for data, who wants to go that route? Well, aside for biz people of course.

    Honestly, I've paired down allot, no more blackberry, no more cell plan, and just go pay as you go. No voice mail, and shut phone off most of time save for cheap times at night and weekends. Saving so much more money, and stress of life is much less too. Constant connectivity just makes people weird and high strung.

    You know what, if you want to get a hold of me, how about YOU pay to leave the message that you want something! ;)

    That aside, again this is wonderful idea, but the Japanese seem to "live" for this type of thing, at least a large portion of their market does. I don't as it's just more junk to store and dust. BLECH!@
  49. Clark Kent from Canada writes: 1) PCs have never been as popular for the average population in Japan than the average population in North America and Europe. Not within the last couple of decades. Especially in the gaming arena. Different culture when it comes to technology. 2) The PC will not disappear in Japan. If it were to, Japan would cease to be a major player in science research. 3) Most likely, this is a symptom of there being no need to upgrade for the last 5 years or so. Not for what many want to do with their PCs. The GHz wars are (at least temporarily) over, most are happy with their current OS. Same phenomenon would likely be seen here.
  50. Craig Cooper from Toronto, writes: Music. Email. Chatting. Messaging. Internet browsing.

    If this is all you use a PC for then you are a sad, sad, sad case.

    Using a PC for that drivel is like using a Ferrari to go get the groceries.
  51. Go Oilers Go! from Canada writes: It is good for now. That's the reason PC sales are starting to slump.

    While other tech gadgets such as iPods, game consoles etc continue to see drastic improvements in memory, processing speed, picture quality etc the PC has been there and done that.

    Considering many people only use their PCs for browsing the internet, text messaging and other simple functions how often do you need to replace it? How powerful does it really need to be for the average user?

    So when faced with the decision to upgrade a PC that doesn't really need upgrading or buying a new gadget such as an iPod which is probably considerably better than whatever you currently own if you own one at all...I'd go for the iPod.
  52. Rollo Tomasi from The Darkness, Belgium writes: My understanding of PC in the article was the desktop model, you know, box, monitor, keyboard with or without peripherals. Anyone here use those anymore? Presuming all that functionality is available through schools anyway, why would a student want to squander it on a computer when there's beer and girls?

    I'm surprised my son's school swung away from Mac to PC--tablets, he calls 'em.
  53. A Celt from Pt Darlington, Canada writes: ...just to give everyone a smile ... I really liked my sinclair...

    Though retired I use my laptop as though it were a corporate workhorse. Communication (email, messenger, video conference, etc) with family and friends around the world. I cannot comfortably do that with a cell phone. We keep all our 'serious' documentary stuff on it (off-line backup). We travel a lot so size/weight are a factor - but not cell phone size, I already have vision problems.

    Desktop at home is the archivist - and the video/photo editor. If not for that - the desktop would become a boat anchor...

    I suspect I am not that unusual amongst tech-friendly seniors. But the younger generation still need a computer for a number of things not mentioned. Job search, research, vacation planning - doing that type of stuff is just not realistic on a cell phone - now matter what size, etc.

    I could see us moving towards a more fully mobile computer - but no less than a 8-10 inch screen. Maybe even at-point-of-need software on-line rental.

    ok back to the Geritol...
  54. Dave G from Fort McMurray, Canada writes: Hey, you know all those students who must insist on reproducing manually perfect replicas of a lecturers overheads in college/university lectures? If I was a student again, I think I would just bring my digital camera and take a photo of the overhead display before each frame changes.

    Why isn't this the latest thing yet!!??
  55. David E from Canada writes: Mr. Hab from Singapore writes: dam...I thought this was an election headline...

    ---

    Don't worry. I will be soon enough.
  56. J Lee from North Vancouver, Canada writes: Want a new toaster, buy one - any brand. Want a new microwave, buy one - any brand. Want a new phone, buy one - any brand. Want a new PC, buy one - any brand. Now, can I get on with my life.
  57. John E7 from Saltspring island, Canada writes: Ill never buy a large screen tv or ipod. given money for new toys i will upgrade my pc and monitor. Computer technology is at the point where one does not have to upgrade one's pc every 2 years. About time too!! Cell phones are goofy now with too much candy floss, small screen and tiny keypad. I'm waiting for the accessory market to sell us special contact lenses to see the display and a special stylus to hunt and peck... Meh what do i care about teen tech anyway, I'm years past that phase.
  58. Angus S Miskers from Victoria, Canada writes: No, each item has its purpose, and the extras are just too compromised to be taken seriously. My PC can act as a phone ... but a very poor phone. It is not very portable either. Excellent with Outlook scheduler. I would never watch movies on a mere 22" screen without my $10K stereo. My laptop can do some of the PC tasks, but it can't have the high end graphics and upgrades that a PC can. Still makes a very awkward phone. Too much bother to keep scheduler updated. Worse for movies than the PC My DSLR camera take great pictures, and nothing else. My iPod s and iTunes are unmatched for music management and listening pleasure. My phone (BBerry Curve) works great as a phone, and contact manager. It is pretty bad at everything else. The photos are horrible. The internet is slow and pricey. typing emails is incredibly tedious. listening to music is a non-starter, with only a max of 4GB card. Forget about editing or doing seriosu work on text documents or graphics. Movies .. haha. It can do all these these very poorly ... but sometimes it is VERY convenient to have them on hand in a pinch. The article is wayy out of touch. These items are still very specialized, and using the extra features works only crudely in a pinch.
  59. Toby Maloney from Winnipeg, Canada writes: Using the same standard of information one could also write that beer or tickets to football games or my trip to the Saskatoon Fringe Festival last summer have "displaced" PC's for middle aged communications professionals because I spent money on those things and haven't bought a new desktop computer.

    Do the writers of these kind of golly-gee-the-future-is-coming-faster-and-faster articles ever stop to think that people buy and keep what they need for a reason other than being part of some trend? Like use their telephone for (gasp) telephone calls? Are they so in thrall to the tech marketers that they actually believe we need to upgrade every five minutes? That student in Japan needs a word processor and an Internet connection and doesn't need a new PC unless his old one stops working.
  60. Frank N. Stein from Canada writes: 90% of my home computer use is shopping the USA for cheap goods.
  61. OZZY RULES THE WORLD! from Canada writes: Computers are going nowhere, they have been calling the death of the PC for years now and its not going to happen.
  62. Runaway 08 from Raincouver, Canada writes: As far as I know, the Baby Boomers are still the biggest market here in Canada. As a pre-boomer fossil who remembers asking the Operator to make a local call, I don't WANT to be at the end of a phone 24/7, nor do I want to have music blasting into my ears when I could be listening to the sounds of reality: nature. I just opened a facebook account, got all my young (intelligent, well-educated and well employed) relatives to be my "friends" and checked out how they use it. Looks as if they just give each other "gifts" and trade party photos. I'm using it to make photo story albums. I can't, of course, speak for all people my age (including boomers) but for me the laptop is all I need. I might upgrade to a slightly better screen or better sound and use it as a TV. Those who think we "only" use it for browsing the internet may not realise that the internet gives me, at least, the opportunity to read international newspapers for free, research subjects that interst me, shop online, do my banking, pay bills and blog with like-minded and not-so much people that I don't otherwise know.... as well as, of course, play with photos and download music. And as my joints get stiffer (I didn't know arthritic knuckles swelled until recently!!) I prefer a landline with a good speakerphone and call display. I'm happy there's something for everyone, young and getting older.
  63. Fluorescent, Yellow, Plastic Bowl from the dollar store from Japan writes: The Japanese have just figured out that if you want to take pictures buy a camera, if you want to communicate by email, chatting or phonecalls buy a cellphone, if you want to play video games by a game console, etc,etc. They have figured out that infinite possiblilities are distracting and not useful. Find out what it is you want to do and get the device that most easily and efficiently serves your purpose. The way that PCs have been marketed is by telling you that if you buy the latest most powerful 'puter you will become a genius almost overnight. Well for the vast majority that hasn`t happened. The creative software for the most part basically just allows us to try to gloss over our deficiencies through slick production. A bad song is a bad song no matter how it`s produced. The same goes for photos and video. The more time you spend fiddling with your software trying to fix some glitch the less time you will actually be out there taking photos or whatever, developing the fundementals of the craft. Endless info is useless and confusing. Understanding and analyzing the right info is what is important. There is a tiny minority who have a fixed goal or idea they want to realize or understand better and who use PCs in a disciplined way to help them achieve that. The idea itself always comes when you are away from the screen. The vast majority however float in circles and noodle away endlessly going to bed finally with tired eyes and the whirring of the fan still ringing in their ears and nothing much else of any substance resounding in them.(cont)
  64. Pete Kauchak, Red Tory from Cascadia, Canada writes: Frank N. Stein from Canada writes: 90% of my home computer use is shopping the USA for cheap goods.

    What's the other 10% porn?
  65. Fluorescent, Yellow, Plastic Bowl from the dollar store from Japan writes: (cont. from the above post) Just like any good sales pitch when they market PCs they are selling the dream not the product. It`s fine to dream unless the dreaming actually prevents you from achieving your goals by distracting you from doing what is necessary. Desktop publishing is great but it is the writing and ideas which are important. Write the book first and then get the publishing software. The internet( and all the communication possibilities that go along with it) is a great source(which can be accessed ancient puter) unless it means you surf endlessly inputting data into your brain without processing it properly or even remembering it. With a big screen TV at least the movie is bigger and clearer. With a camera at least it`s in your pocket ready to be used if you see a photo you`d like to take. The cellphone, besides basic communication, allows you to get info you need at the time like train times, directions etc. The ipod plays music when you want to hear it. I`m not saying that any of these things are the answer to a happy life but at least the object is achieved rather than endless circling and going nowhere chained to a desk. spend your money on whatever you please of course. I`m just not surprised that some people no longer feel the need to spend so much money that could be spent elsewhere on the newest and latest version of 'the dream'.
  66. D. Clearwater from Lethbridge, AB, Canada writes: Interesting article. I like how a slight downturn in PC sales is translated by some as a sign that the PC is dead. I wouldn't go as far as that. I think that what is going on is that we are seeing the offloading of some specific functions that were once the domain of the PC to smaller, portable devices. In that sense, yes, this will affect sales (but it will not mean the death of the PC). Also, this probably means that most people can get by with a PC that is more modest in its specifications (memory, hard drive, CPU speed)... and, yeah, that is going to affect PC sales too (but again, it doesn't mean the death of the PC). I think what is going on is that the technology and functionality that once was almost only available in a desktop computer is becoming decentralized and some, specific functions are moving to smaller, portable devices. Some people will still need the full functionality of a PC-like device (others will not be able to get by without it) for business, work, or large-scale creative projects. For mass consumer entertainment functions (music listening, photo browsing, interpersonal communication, minor web browsing), the small, portable devices are probably better suited.
  67. David Russell from Blacksburg, VA, United States writes: Yes, but I'll stick with my PC. For a guy who's all thumbs like me trying to do anything serious with either an I-phone, Blackberry, whatever, is a torture which should be banned by some Convention somewhere. I'll revisit this when their microscopic keyboards are replaced by mind control devices. Meanwhile my students, even Engineering students, can't seem to write even the most modest of computer programs. Apparently too busy calling their girlfriends or downloading music. No more bridges, airplanes, etc., in this post-technology era. Fasten your seatbelts, folks.
  68. JDF Canada from Calgary, Canada writes: How does one do any appreciable amount of work without a PC? I don't see gadgets replacing PCs in terms of doing actual "work" (software developmnet, systems analysis, students writing 10,000 word papers, etc), however gadgets have made cumbersome PCs extremely portable for entertainment applications.
  69. James Cyr from Balmertown Ontario, Canada writes: I do not think PC's are waning in popularity; rather that there are many more electronic gadgets on the market, which give people more choices. PC's will continue to be a selling item, as they find their true level in the electronic market.
  70. Rob C from Toranna, Canada writes: "M B from Canada writes: People seem to be missing the point. It is not that people are taking their old PCs and throwing them out to replace them with cell phones and so forth, it is that they are replacing them less often."

    Well said. I also have a 5 yr old computer that I built and it still runs pretty well and handles anything I throw at it. (And I am a power user.)

    The PC has become utilitarian. It's used for work and games. There are other technologies coming out that can do what the PC was originally built to do. So people will adopt a more portable, smaller technology that will do what they need instead of lugging around, or relying too much on the old a PC or a laptop.

    I have a Pocket PC instead of a laptop and that does me fine for certain things.

    Later I will do away with my home PC and get a Macbook Pro that can do graphics on the Mac side and run my trusty Windows applications on the PC side (plus any PC games I want.)

    So different technologies for different applications.
  71. Vladimir Putin from St Petersburg, Russian Federation writes: It is because North America is too tied to the hilt with Microsoft. MS is less dominant OS platform in Japan or Europe, where other proprietary operating systems get a fair crack at the consumer market. On top of that they are at least a year or more ahead in consumer electronics like cellphones, PDA's and MP3 players.
  72. Rollo Tomasi from Liberatkl, Belgium writes: David Russell from Blacksburg, VA, United States writes: Meanwhile my students, even Engineering students [are] Apparently too busy calling their girlfriends or downloading music.
    ----------------------------------------------

    No more, Dude. Read the new york times article on their website on mobile device jammers, from which I quote:

    The jamming technology works by sending out a radio signal so powerful that phones are overwhelmed and cannot communicate with cell towers. The range varies from several feet to several yards, and the devices cost from $50 to several hundred dollars. Larger models can be left on to create a no-call zone.
  73. pants 7 from Japan writes: One thing the article fails to mention is the dismal failure of Vista, it certainly does not make me want to go out and buy a new PC. My family uses our Wii to surf the internet and the connection speed of the Wii puts Canadian "broadband" to shame. My next tech purchase will be a 2TB data storage rack.

    I don't have a cell because I don't want people (my wife) to be able to contact at will but it would be handy to use the camera to take pictures of the square black things to jump to a web page for information. Do they use those black squares in Canada?
  74. Angry West Coast Canuck from Canada writes: pants 7: in Canada, they don't even know what you mean when you say "black square". Useful things, aren't they?

    For the uninitiated, a lot of Japanese advertising (billboards, posters, magazines, etc.) have a small black square that is basically a 2D barcode. The phone can decode this to get the necessary contact info, URL and other data directly from the poster into the phone (for browsing their website, or calling their store, or looking them up in an online map), without having to laboriously copy the info from the advertising. Really handy - and something we'll not see in Canada for many years, if ever.

    As for many others: you say that phones aren't ready to "do it all". That's because you haven't experienced the variety of phones available to the Japanese market, but have been limited to the archaic and downright old tech the local providers have allowed you to choose.

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