PC will soon stand for 'personal cloud,' Gartner says

The emergence of new technologies is reshaping the computing habits of consumers around the world. For example, according to a report from research firm Gartner, within the next several years the term "PC" will no longer stand for "personal computer," but rather for "personal cloud."

This transition emerges as users are focusing on a wide array of devices, including tablet computers and smartphones, in addition to their laptops.

"Major trends in client computing have shifted the market away from a focus on personal computers to a broader device perspective that includes smartphones, tablets and other consumer devices," Gartner research vice president Steve Kleynhans says. "Emerging cloud services will become the glue that connects the web of devices that users choose to access during the different aspects of their daily life."

Gartner also rebuffs the idea of the so-called post-PC era. Instead, researchers say, the next generation of the sector will be defined by new computing styles.

PCWorld expert Tony Bradley recently pushed back against the idea of the post-PC era, as well. He notes that instead of computers dying off, more devices, tablets especially, will adopt the PC moniker.