Death to the desktop

By 2006, only 45% of corporate users will count a traditional desktop as their primary information device, according to META Group, Inc. Another 40% will primarily use a notebook or tablet PC, with the final 15% focusing on thin-client or other information appliances (e.g., custom device, handheld). A key factor is the increasing percentage of users who will be equipped with multiple devices over and above the current combination of a PC and a personal information/communication device (e.g., handheld, cell phone).

“By 2007, the average user will interact regularly with at least four distinct computing devices — a personal home PC, smart digital entertainment system, corporate computer, and mobile information device,” said Steve Kleynhans, vice president with META Group’s Technology Research Services. “This multiplicity of devices will force software vendors to focus on information synchronization as well as ‘thinning’ or ‘roaming’ applications to enable users to access their information independent of the device they are using.”

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