This isn't a new observation, nor am i the first to point it out. If we look at the Technology industry recently, it becomes obvious the role of the PC in people's lives has changed markedly over the last few years.
First i will mention PC gaming, a topic very dear to my heart. It is my opinion that the demise of the PC as the standard gaming platform was partially a result of console hardware coming in well below the cost of a gaming PC. As a student living off next to nothing, making the most of my money is very important. With a gaming PC i was forced to upgrade something every 6 months in order to keep up with game requirements. Then every 2-3 years came the obligatory upgrade as new technology rolled in the door. But it was somehow worth it. Why? Because PC display technology was far ahead of console display technology. Previous consoles ran on very low resolution PAL or NTSC displays, and had generally used a 1-chip-does-it-all approach. Comparatively, computers at the time were already running resolutions of 1024x768 or higher (much higher for an exclusive elite in the gaming community) with dedicated graphics processors. Modern consoles run resolutions as high as most HDTVs or computer monitors will allow, with little or no lag. From a development perspective consoles are unified standard platforms, reducing the amount of time spent testing different hardware configurations and fixing subsequent bugs.
As computers have hit the speed barrier, the technology in hand-held devices has continued to surge onward. Cell phones can now act as mobile computers, with internet connectivity and fairly modest processing power. Netbooks have also helped bridge a gap in mobile computing, and MID devices look to soon do the same. The mobile phone and computer paradigms are merging into one central device which is both a computer and a communications platform.
In the business space, Google has transformed the internet with their server farm designs. Suddenly large scale computing power is achieved with large networks of PCs, where previously only a mainframe system would have been suitable or viable. Supercomputers are also being affected, with many new systems being built from standard PC CPUs and GPUs.
The current period of computing spells out a interesting crossroad for the PC and its role in computing; the number of computing devices available to us is increasing, each with shifting roles in our everyday lives. At the same time, these devices are becoming far more convenient and cost-effective than the PC. What the future holds, no one knows?
