by Eckhard Pfeiffer

About the author: Eckhard Pfeiffer is president and CEO of Compaq Computer Corporation.

Today’s PC has evolved to the point of fundamentally redefining experience for people of all ages.

In fact, the PC has progressed so far and so fast along the inventive continuum that it now defines the computer industry. And it will come to define the consumer electronics industry as well.

The Evolution and Growth of Computer Use

As computing and communications have fused, we’ve seen the PC evolve from a stand-alone personal productivity device to a communications tool—a connector and coordinator. And when combined with the Internet, the PC can radically transform personal and business communication, commerce, education, healthcare delivery, home automation, entertainment and play, and perhaps even government.

The PC’s life-changing power is...