PC World Celebrates 25 Years of the PC by Launching “The Connected Home”

August 17, 2006 - The PC was 25 years old on Saturday 12th August. Research to coincide with this milestone commissioned by PC World, the UK’s chain of computing superstores, points to the growing importance of PCs in the way that we manage our lives.

YouGov research for PC World reveals that PCs and internet access are collectively rated by respondents as the technological innovations more people (32%) could not live without than any other, eclipsing TVs (19%), mobile phones (7%) and even washing machines (20%).

To coincide with the 25th anniversary of the desktop PC on Saturday August 12, PC World launched in-store trials of a digital home installation and advice service, codenamed “The Connected Home”.  The service trials, which will see totally integrated PC technology installed in UK homes, reflect the transformative effect that the PC has had on the way we all live over the last 25 years.

According to the Economist, 200 million PCs are sold each year and the combined market value of PC hardware and software companies exceed half a trillion dollars.

Keith Jones, managing director of PC World said:  “The PC is right at the heart of many of most aspects of our lives today, for business and for pleasure.  In the last few years it has started to move from the spare room into the living room as we use our PCs for films, games, music, email, instant messaging and much, much more.”

He added: “The original desktop PC was a long way from the user friendly devices we use today.  Even for those who knew how to use them, it took time to ask the PC a question and then it would take its time to give an answer.  Compared to today’s models the original PC had marginal productivity benefits.  But those early products sowed the seeds of a revolution that has a transformative effect on our lives, both business and pleasure.”

www.the-connected-home.co.uk Connected Home 2007