The CorpTechPocalypse And The Post PC World?

Last week, I noted that some say Apple had their first post-PC quarter – and that this isn't suprising.  In fact, ilke the "CorpTechPocalypse", the slow dying of IT departments, this is a completely predictable trend.  In fact, I think they're the same thing.

Really, the dying of the average IT department is pretty much the same reason that companies are aiming for a post-PC market.

(Now I agree with our own Scott that it's not a post-PC world in that the world will forget PC's.  I view what's coming as a world where the PC's role shrinks considerably.  But I call it Post-PC as the other term I heard, "PC Plus," doesn't cut it for me)

So what are these similarities?

  • People want mobility.  Tablets, phones, notebooks, laptops provide that – PC's don't.  So yeah, you may want a godawful power box for your work – but most people don't.
  • Support is shifting towards, well, actual support.  Companies are automating and outsourcing and working on efficiency because people are used to technology that works (mobile devices) and damn well want it.  There's a feedback loop here between movie devices (above) and this kind of support that skews people towards non-PCs (I always found that laptop support was much better than PC for many companies) and diverse devices.
  • People only need so much power, and a giant testosterone -fueled PC isn't on most people's lists.  Miniaturization, efficiency, and product-orienteation mean people get what they need and more from Non-PCs.  Thats more of a mobile base, less of an install base – and less traditional IT/PC.
  • People can seek out a proper device combination.  You can have a powerhouse PC for graphics and a tablet for carrying, a game device and a laptop, or what have you.  This isn't a standard-install world, or a world that needs PC's – it needs appropriate combinations.
  • Options.  People also have options of what tech they use, and that only amplifies the trends above – they'll go for slick, appropriate, mobile, and well supported.
  • Not even needing it.  How much these days is prepackaged, web-enabled, outsourced, etc.?  How much of Corporate IT doesn't need to exist – and how much is in the consumer's hands that they just don't need a PC?

Old-school corporate IT is dying.  So is the PC market as we knew it, and the two are part of a larger, more subtle trend; we're moving to a mobile, appropriate, productized IT world.

So, are you moving with the times?

- Steven Savage

  • Scott D

    I might have been ahead of the times. When my last desktop PC died, I replaced it with a media laptop. It’s now my base machine. I had a refurbished laptop to use for mobile computing, adding extra batteries to extend its off-outlet use. When that laptop finally died, it was replaced by a lighter netbook. I’ve been eying the price-reduced Playbooks, wondering if they could be useful for light computing and ebook reading while still using the netbook for heavier duties such as word processing and emails.
    The PC still has a place. It’s easier to replace parts on a desktop machine than a laptop. A blown video or network card can be replaced for far less than a new PC. Heavy number-crunching is cheaper on a PC. However, laptops are getting close to that level of ability at a slighty pricier level.
    As for IT, there will still be a need for onsite service. Hardware diagnostics will still need someone to take a look at the machine. Peripherals, such as printers and scanners, will still need onsite service. It’s not cost effective to call in an outside tech to clear a paper jam or install a maintenance kit. But, yeah, the IT department need not be as big and can be centralized for simple questions.
    What I expect to see with the diversification of computing is a change in game design, especially for casual gamers. The hardcore types will still get consoles and high-end PCs. The casual gamer, however, will need games that fit on their device, be it laptop, netbook, tablet, or smartphone. Likewise, day to day applications such as email and browsing will need to take into account the capabilities of the system.

  • http://www.stevensavage.com/ Steven Savage

    Maintenance-wise, I think Laptops have definitely moved to being easier to maintain, though they certainly are not as easy as a PC yet.
    The thing with the need for IT is that though onsite service is needed, it seems to be reduced over time – and as people can maintain things themselves as knowledge disseminates, you need less and less people.

  • Scott D

    It’ll boil down to how difficult it’ll be for the common person to maintain the equipment. Most problems are solved these days by a reboot followed by a check of connections. Schools may have to add some courses in electronics and computing so that everyone knows the basics of computer maintenance. And most PCs are modular now. Replacing a power supply, a disc drive, or a motherboard is easy and at times colour coordinated.
    Laptops and tablets might be more “no user serviceable parts inside” (like that stops tech types from getting out a screwdriver-like item and opening up the case) for now, and could be more disposable in the near-future. (Replacement cost of the entire machine might be less than the part cost and the labour cost of the broken piece.)
    That leaves, will getting users to fix their own computer be time and money wisely spent, or should a small core of techs be available for when a problem gets too out of hand or when the user’s time is better spent on his/her core job?