PC Sales Way Down in Japan

An article, written by HIROKO TABUCHI, Associated Press Writer, was published on Nov. 4.  It states that computers are becoming less needed in Japanese homes.  Instead, gadgets such as smart phones that act like pocket-size computers, advanced Internet-connected game consoles, and digital video recorders, are doing the tasks that previously were done by a laptop or desktop PC. 

More than 50 percent of Japanese send e-mail and browse the Internet from their mobile phones, according to a 2006 survey by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

I read this article on the same day that I learned about the $200 "gPC," which will be available, beginning today, from Wal-Mart.  The g stands for... what else?... Google, and the operating system is Linux.  It comes loaded with Google applications and Open Source software.

I wonder if the trend of decreasing PC sales in Japan will also begin to show in other countries.  I cannot imagine life without my PC. I simply cannot envision doing all that I do on my laptop today on a cell phone.  Of course, I know how quickly technology changes.  I used the Internet for the first time in 1995, just 12 years ago! 

Will the gPC be successful in the US market? 

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