Nov 7, 2007
Life After Personal Computers
Point a telescope into space and you’re looking into the past. Read a story about life in Japan and you’re likely getting a glimpse into the future. Demographically, technologically, and culturally, Japan is often ahead of the curve.
In an article titled “Bye, bye, PC?,” the Globe and Mail yesterday reported that:
“The PC’s role in Japanese homes is diminishing, as its once-awesome monopoly on processing power is encroached by gadgets such as smart phones that act like pocket-size computers, advanced Internet-connected game consoles, digital video recorders with terabytes of memory. “
Numbers back up this observation. In Japan, 2007 sales of desktop computers are down 4.8 percent, and sales of laptops are down 3.1 percent. Even Apple’s Mac computers, red-hot in North America, have this year experienced declining sales of 5 percent in Japan.
So what does life after personal computers look like in Japan?
- E-mail, text messaging, music downloads, video, and social networking are taking place on mobile phones. (The fastest growing social network in Japan, Mobagay Town, is designed for cell phones.)
- Movies are being downloaded directly to big flat-screen TVs.
- Powerful networked game consoles are being used as entertainment stations.
- Digital cameras download photos directly to printers, bypassing the need for computers.
How “yesterday” are PCs?
“At a consumer electronics event in Tokyo in October, the mostly unpopular stalls showcasing new PCs contrasted sharply with the crowded displays of flat-panel TVs.”
Based on the plummeting prices of desktops and laptops in North America, sales numbers must be falling short of expectations for vendors here as well.
The PC as we know it is on the way out. Current developers of learning technology products and services should be watching Japan carefully for insights into what learning will require in a couple of years.
