New computing tools threaten the role of the PC

The PC has been at the center of the computing universe for 30 years. But that's about to change. Within two or three years, smartphones will outsell PCs, if analysts' projections hold true.

Already, netbooks — essentially low-cost laptops with more limited capabilities than standard PCs — are the fastest-growing part of the PC market. In coming years, the very idea of having a center for computing in the home is likely to go away, replaced with a distributed array of linked devices that will include not just smartphones and notebooks, but TVs, set-top boxes, tablet devices, appliances and even alarm clocks. These devices will largely eliminate the need for a powerful PC and allow us to communicate with friends, access information such as stock quotes and control things such as lighting and alarm systems, wherever we happen to be inside our outside our house.