Laptop PCs are nowadays extremely popular with computer users, especially because they offer the necessary mobility and a performance ratio that can easily compete with the desktop counterparts. Things are about to change, however, in the following next years, and laptop PCs will become what the cassette walkman is now for the portable MP3 player.

According to Gartner market research analysts, the next five years will bring tremendous changes in the mobile industry and half of the people who travel will simply leave their notebooks home and swap them with other handheld devices. This will affect both the IT industry and the related fields, as well as the IT consumers. Gartner also claims that executives and IT professionals need to take action this year and exploit the trends before competition gets aware of them.

"As users begin to make their own decisions about what technologies to use, they shift industry dynamics. Apple has had a resurgence of its leadership in the innovative delivery of PC technologies. As users grow frustrated with PCs, the Apple model [if not its prices] begins to become extremely attractive again. And although this interest continues, users are now gaining enough functionality in mobile and wireless devices that it may be possible to leave the laptop at home in favour of the ubiquitous handheld device. Even in the home and business, individual technologies are growing in prominence," claimed Daryl C. Plummer, managing vice-president at Gartner.

Apple seems to be technologically ready to make the switch. Its current notebook, the MacBook Air is extremely miniaturized, while preserving the same computing power a regular design would offer. Software integration offers both ease of use and flexibility, but at the same time, it encourages frequent innovation in hardware and software.

However, the competition between Microsoft and Apple gives Intel more maneuver space and the chip manufacturer will take advantage of it in order to set new industry standards. Based on its mobile processors such as Silverthorne, consumer electronics vendors will develop a new classes of internet-centric pocket devices with extremely affordable price tags (sub $400). Web-based applications and WiMax connectivity will allow users to store and manage information directly on the web.