Who could have imagined, some twenty years ago, when the PC was beginning to be the envy of the world, that its future would one day be in jeopardy?
The vast majority of European households are equipped with a PC (sometimes several), and yet today, in 2016, there is talk of an uncertain future for this technological tool for everyone (professionals and private individuals).
But if tomorrow is uncertain, that doesn’t mean that the PC will disappear.
It’s more a question of the big names in computing adapting to a changing consumer environment.
So what will they be able to offer us in the coming decades to silence the rumors of the PC’s death?

Apocalyptic forecasts announced at Apple

Tim Cook (Apple’s CEO since 2011) read the future in the apple (which acted as a crystal ball for the occasion) and announced last year that the PC would soon be able to pack its bags and disappear to make way for the IPad and tablets in general.
We have to assume, then, that Apple was on the take, because the imminent death of the PC is not as realistic as it seems, at least not for the foreseeable future.

Figures down, but different uses

Admittedly, worldwide sales have plummeted in recent years (from $343 billion in 2012 to $232 billion in 2016).
This downward trend was to be expected, given the deployment of tablets in households (children and adults each have their own) and even in the most innovative companies.
And yet, the PC remains a tool that some people would never dream of doing without.
In fact, the PC still equips many users, and stands out for its more advanced and powerful uses, compared with certain tablets.
All of which is to say that just because you get a tablet, it doesn’t mean you don’t still use your PC.
The uses are different, so we can talk in terms of complementarity of products, despite what some may think.

Why are PC sales falling?

The question of declining PC consumption does, however, merit a closer look at the overall economic situation and the evolution of IT and digital consumption patterns.
If PCs are selling less, it’s above all a logical response to our needs, which are evolving towards equipment more suited to our lifestyles.
When we’re looking for a practical, high-performance computing tool for our daily activities, the PC is no longer in first place.
Indeed, we’re increasingly looking for mobility and immediacy when it comes to choosing such a tool.
We want to be able to take everything everywhere, to be connected to everything, all the time.

The PC will keep up with the times

If the PC has had such an easy time equipping our homes and businesses over the past decades, it’s because there was so much to do, and so much space was available.
Yesterday we had nothing, today we have everything (and even too much).
And to stay in the race, when needs are no longer defined as essential, but more as comfortable, manufacturers have to show ingenuity every day to offer us functionalities that only the PC can cover.
The PC must not compete with the tablet, but must “rewrite” itself to meet needs that are not always clearly expressed by consumers.
It must anticipate, as the big guys know how to do!

Developments in various sectors

If the PC is to retain its irreplaceable place in our homes and businesses, it needs to create demand and capitalize on the shortcomings of its direct and indirect competitors (tablets, smartphones, iPads…). To do this, the rules of the game are clear: you have to stand out from the crowd and create desire.
So you have to act on points that allow you to do so:

  • More mobility: UMPCs(ultra mobile PCs) should satisfy even the biggest spenders among us.
    Smaller, more functional for travel and everyday use, these UMPCs are among the developments announced for tomorrow, even if they are also more expensive.
  • More functions: PCs are tending towards a multiplication of functions and equipment to distinguish themselves in the IT market.
    With modular functions and a distinction that heralds the all-in-one (as announced by Microsoft with its new modular PC patent), the market is turning to the most demanding.
  • More performance in gaming: The gamer market may not be the market of the century, but it’s still thriving, and highly profitable for those who want to stay in the game.
    And the rise of virtual reality (or augmented reality) gaming has no doubt had a hand in this.
  • More orientation towards application operation: To avoid leaving users on the sidelines, the PC has to follow the lead of its pseudo-competitors: applications.
    We can therefore imagine that tomorrow’s PCs will have moved closer (some already have) to the operating modes that users are adept at, namely mobile applications.

So, much to Mr. Cook’s dismay, PC hasn’t said its last word.
On the contrary, it’s focused on writing a new chapter in its history, a history whose script is not written in advance, admittedly, but one in which we should all participate, in one way or another.