The following is a Plus Edition article written by and copyright by Dick Eastman. 

I believe the post-PC world is upon us. That is, personal computers as we know them are slowly disappearing and will become museum pieces within the next ten years.

The term ” personal computers” includes Windows, Macintosh, Chromebook, and Chromebox computers, including desktop and laptop systems. It does not include tablet computers or Android “smartphones.”

The term “post-PC” refers to the computing world after sales of desktop and laptop computers have slowed to a trickle.

True to the predictions of industry pundits, both consumers and businesses are now replacing desktop and laptop computers with “smart” cell phones, tablet computers, and likely other lightweight computing devices that haven’t even been invented yet. In many cases, the ever-growing, high-speed wireless networks and cloud computing are allowing tiny, lightweight devices to replace traditional desktop systems. 

Having a powerful computer of your own is no longer essential; the power can exist either in your own computer or someplace in the cloud.

In fact, today’s tablet computers possess more computing power and better displays than the typical desktop computer of ten years ago. Today’s iPads and Android tablets all have better displays than most desktop computers had only a few years ago. For example, compare the Retina display screen of today’s iPad with the typical VGA screens used on desktop computers only a few years ago. The Retina display is easier to read, even for those with eyesight problems.

Who can guess what improvements will occur in the next ten years? How about twenty years?

To be sure, desktop and laptop computers are now and probably always will be more powerful than any handheld devices. However, I have to question how much power we need to track our ancestors, to read and write email, or to access our online bank accounts.

We all have more computing power today than we need, whether that power resides on our desktop or remotely in the cloud. Likewise, all of us already have more storage space than we will ever need. In traditional computers, we can now purchase one-terabyte (1,000 gigabyte) disk drives for less than $50 US or we can access essentially infinite storage space securely in the cloud, paying modest prices for only the storage space we actually use.

My belief is that desktop and laptop computers eventually will be destined for the scrap heap, other than some that will be used in corporate offices. Lots of people seem to agree.

The only thing delaying the transition, in my mind, is that no one has yet invented a good replacement for the old-fashioned QWERTY-keyboard. Once a good, portable keyboard is invented, laptop and desktop computers will fade into oblivion.

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