Brian Zucker
Technology evangelist, Dell Computer
The PC will never be like the TV or the radio, a commodity with a fixed function. We're using computers so differently today compared with 1993, who knows what the killer app will be 10 years from now. But there's always going to be a need for a general-purpose computing platform - and that system will need enough room inside to cool and support the latest processors and graphics cards.
Jock Mackinlay
Scientist, PARC
One of the key innovations of the desktop was the ability to see all your files and their relationships at once. Smaller devices require you to mentally store that god-awful document hierarchy. The desktop PC is like a lab bench or a carpenter's apron - it lets you grab the exact tool you need right away. In my research, I find that increasing display size leads to improvement in performance. People now use multiple monitors, and we may ultimately see a flexible or projected wall-sized display.
Donald A. Norman
Author, The Invisible Computer: Why Good Products Can Fail, the PC Is So Complex, and Information Appliances Are the Solution
The desktop has had a good run, but it's being superseded by smaller devices. By 2030, we'll have display screens throughout the house, not just one machine we go to to do our taxes and accounts. And these screens will be taken for granted, as ubiquitous and as integral as electric outlets.
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