In fact, Gartner Dataquest analysts forecast worldwide sales of personal computers to increase steadily over the next few years from just under 156 million machines sold this year to more than 180 million in 2001, with an estimated 232 million in 2002. And while personal computers still have a way to go before they're as ubiquitous as telephones and VCRs, they're well past the halfway point in terms of household penetration. But the beauty of a PC is that it can be nearly all things to all people. For some, it's a game machine. For others, it's a financial calculator.
Many people use it as a glorified typewriter.
But it can also be used as a radio, TV set, telephone or travel agent. Stick some extra plug-in cards in the PC's slots and suddenly you have a video editing system that rivals commercial products that cost tens of thousands of dollars. Admittedly, the PC's versatility also is one of the reasons it's so complicated and unreliable. And then there's the Internet. The very technology that some think might kill the PC is actually its greatest ally.