Long live the PC

As much as it may appear to have been “traded in for a newer model”, the personal computer (PC) is here to stay - at least for now.

The trusted steed that made its debut as far back as the 1930s, with Konrad Zuse's first freely programmable computer, has been nudged out of the technology spotlight due to increased mobility in computing. But it still serves a valid and pervasive purpose.

Analysts and industry professionals say the PC as we know it is far from obsolete. World Wide Worx MD Arthur Goldstuck says the PC still has a long life ahead of it. “Tablets are making noise because they are new and have been making dramatic inroads in the industry, but most people still consider them to be a supplementary device, rather than a replacement.”

This is especially so where the originating of documents and spreadsheets is concerned, he notes.

Intel SA says the PC market remains strong and healthy, in spite of massive growth in the tablet PC and smartphone sectors, with consumers continuing to use the bigger screens and greater computing power of PCs to consume user-generated content like video and 3D content.

Intel SA's country manager Videsha Proothveerajh says that, while PC sales are slowing in mature markets, sales remain strong. He says in emerging markets like SA, the devices continue to be the technology purchase of choice for most consumers.

“You have to see PC sales figures in a context where people have more technology spending choices to make than ever before. The fact is, consumers want more from their PCs than ever before: better graphics, better sound, easier integration with the rest of their lives.

“The PC is still a bestseller, especially as the technology is becoming more affordable every year.”

A recent survey by the Consumer Electronic Association in the US found that, along with smartphones, the traditional PC remains a 'must have' and tops the technology wish list of adults across the US. The study showed consumers tend to see tablets and netbooks merely as 'nice to haves'.

“The deciding factor for future sales will be what consumers want their devices to do for them. Do you primarily want to create content, or consume it? If you're creating content like large spreadsheets or long management reports, or editing movies and photo galleries, I don't think there's anything better suited to this kind of 'heavy lifting' than the PC. The PC will remain the trusted workhorse for decades to come,” adds Proothveerajh.

Proothveerajh says technology analysts also see continued growth in the PC market. “Forrester predicts that by 2015, 2.25 billion PCs will be in use across the world, more than double the billion PCs in use in 2008. Emerging markets are set to contribute 800 million new PCs in this time.”

A Gartner forecast presents a postulated 10.5% increase in PC shipments in 2011 (rising to 387.8 million units) and a 13.6% growth in 2012 (to 440.6 million units). “While this is down on a previous forecast, the signs are still very much of a healthy growth market on the global stage,” says Proothveerajh.

The IDC saw global PC shipments declining 3.2% year-on-year during the first three months of 2011, but the overall African PC market grew 1%, with the East African region alone recording a massive 76% growth in PC shipments.

Senior analyst of Systems and Infrastructure Solutions at IDC Hannes Fourie says the sale of notebooks in the country has been particularly strong in the home and small business segments.

According to Proothveerajh, government initiatives also led to increased PC sales as the country prepared to host last year's Soccer World Cup, and the momentum has continued into 2011.

“While there's been a boom in the volumes of content consumed on mobile devices, with the use of video sharing sites doubling from 2006 to 2010, there's no doubt that a PC still provides a better quality downloading and viewing experience. There have been major leaps in processing power on the PC in the past couple of years, with developments like Intel's second-generation processing technology literally opening new horizons for PC users.

“Instead of talking about the death of the PC, I think a more useful and relevant conversation would be around how all of the advancements in technology we are seeing right now are going to benefit consumers through new hybrid computing devices.”

Proothveerajh concludes: “The PC isn't dead. It's just changing shape, keeping up with audiences like the tech-savvy youth, and getting better all the time.”