| Alas, I couldn't go to the
show last week, but colleagues are telling me that the Javitz Center is
half-empty, compared with what we used to see only four or five years ago.
Lots of gadgets
Even traditional PC makers made more splash with non-desktop
computer offerings. HP and Compaq, for example, introduced home
entertainment systems capable of storing and playing hundreds of CDs'
worth of music (yes, including MP3, but not yet MP3Pro) on their hard
disks, but otherwise functioning as stereo systems. Compaq's unit, the
iPAQ jukebox, which runs about $800, connects to your existing stereo's
amplifier, and lets you download music from the Internet. So at the heart
of the unit there's PC-inspired technology, but the interface is easy even
for non-computer users to figure out.
Other prominent offerings at the show included lots of PDAs from
Palm, Sony, Handspring, Compaq and others; wireless networking gadgets for
the home and the office; "smart" mobile phones; tiny USB hubs, and
cameras.
Another sign of the times: Dell, the leading PC maker, didn't have
a booth.
End of an era?
Some analysts are describing this shift in the industry as the
decline of the personal computer. I strongly disagree. PCs (and Macs) are
still going to be in demand for years to come. Admittedly, the entire
high-tech industry is in a slump, but there's no reason to believe
that businesses and home users aren't going to keep upgrading their
hardware to keep up with all the new, demanding software.
In fact, now that Microsoft isn't breaking into pieces after all
(surprise, surprise) the release of Windows XP in October might even
provide a boost to PC sales and the industry as a whole. Bill Gates'
marketing machine has the track record to support this theory. After all,
Microsoft was responsible for a boost in PC sales in 1995, when Windows 95
was introduced after a year and a half of hype.
Ask Dr. Tech
If you often need help with your computer (Windows only), handheld,
or software, and can't afford to pay a tech-support person for each
incident, check out the new site www.askdrtech.com, which offers online
support ("24/7") for $49 per year. You may cancel your account within the
first 30 days and receive a full refund, says a company spokesperson.
Yael Li-Ron has been writing about computers and the Internet for
15 years. A former magazine editor and the co-author of several how-to
books, these days she keeps busy as a freelance writer and a
user-interface consultant to software developers. Reach her through her
site, www.tipx.com
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